Identification of a pill in a blister pack or vial (medicinal product) is a pre-requisite for healthcare providers to verify that the right product is administered to the right patient in the right dosage. For healthcare providers, it remains difficult if barcodes such as GS1 DataMatrix are not printed on the primary packaging.

Medicinal product manufacturers require guidance on a standard global solution to identify primary packaging, which is sometimes very small, and consolidation of healthcare providers’ expectations is a necessity to engage investment in this space.

The new GS1 Healthcare’s position paper provides a response to both suppliers and healthcare providers, recognising caregivers’ essential role in the care processes. Label readability and AIDC identification are both important, as illustrated by the position paper.

This position paper has been endorsed by the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP), and more recently by the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), demonstrating their common support. Together, they endorse “safer, more efficient care starts with a simple scan”.

The paper is available here