Abu Dhabi says coding system will secure drug supply chain

Staff reporter

03-Jul-2010

Dr Mohammed Abu Elkhair The authorities in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, are planning to roll out a coding system in order to track and trace pharmaceutical products through the supply chain and fight against medicines counterfeiting, according to local news reports.

The local National newspaper says in an article published last week that the new barcode system could be in place across the Emirate in early 2011, citing comments made by Dr. Mohammed Abu Elkhair (pictured), head of pharma/medicine and medical products regulation at the Health Authority-Abu Dhabi.

Under the proposal each pack of medicine sold would require a barcode carrying a unique randomised serial number, as well as other information such as the manufacturer, batch number, expiry date, and dosage strength.

The labelling system will also include a human-readable code to allow patients to verify the product themselves using their telephone.

The system will allow verification of the barcode at the point of dispensing in order to prevent counterfeit, expired or otherwise illegal medicines reaching patients.

This is the latest in a series of measures undertaken by HAAD to combat the trade in counterfeits in the Emirate. Earlier this year the agency purchased an energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDXRD) system (XStream Systems' XT250 device) for use in screening pharmaceutical products for authenticity.

The authority has also made it mandatory for all pharmacies in the Emirate to make use of an Internet-based medicine purchasing system so that transactions can be recorded and tracked.

Meanwhile, the UAE as a whole is implementing a ban on re-exporting of pharmaceuticals from its ports, in recognition that it is used as a major staging post for counterfeit pharmaceuticals in transit to other world markets, including the EU. It is also increasing the legal penalties for those found guilty of involvement in the trade.

Related articles:

Dubai Customs seize counterfeit medicines

United Arab Emirates to become anti-counterfeiting hub

UAE aims to block fake meds in transit

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