Automated Product Solutions for Handling Pharmaceuticals

Like many other sectors, the pharmaceutical industry is constantly evolving—to the point where it can be challenging to keep track of all the changes, let alone manage them.

Whether you’re adjusting to the new federal Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) that impacts handling, labeling and data integration, or considering how to implement track and trace in the most cost-effective manner, your facility must be prepared for every possible scenario.

Although the complexity of the pharmaceutical supply chain is becoming more and more daunting with each passing day, a variety of solutions are available to help tackle the challenges.

Automated storage and retrieval is providing some relief, while a novel software combination (distributed order management with a warehouse management system) is offering real-time track and trace.

Due to the continuous rise in regulations, particularly the DSCSA, every individual bottle or consumer box will eventually need to be individually serialized and made fully traceable throughout the entire supply chain—all the way to the point of dispense.

As a mandatory federal law, rather than a Food and Drug Administration regulation, the act is unavoidable and, unlike FDA regulations that can be completely revised by the FDA alone, any major changes to the act beyond interpretation or adjustment of timelines (it currently has a multi-year roll-out) requires Congressional action.

Here are some solutions for how to handle pharmaceuticals in your operations.