The receiving process for totes at pharmacies from wholesalers hasn’t changed much over the past 25 or more years.… Physical packages reconciled to a printed manifest/order. Quantities checked. Verification that nothing is damaged. Inspection to see if anything is already expired. Data entry into a pharmacy inventory system. Even if there are some issues, the medicines get put into stock. 

Starting this November with Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) enforcement, pharmacies will need to confirm that the serial number of the drug received matches the serial number that was sent electronically for the transaction. This means pharmacies must be equipped with a digital system to receive these files from wholesalers, plus an in-pharmacy tool to scan and verify. 

What if things don’t match? This creates a “misalignment exception”, which will need to be resolved before the drug can be put on the shelf for dispense. It is QUARANTINED—though perfectly good— because there is a data issue.  

Pharmacies had better be TESTING their misalignment exception response now, to minimize the length of time they might have drugs in a quarantine state due to data-related issues.   

Don’t wait. Systech’s UniTrace® DSCSA for Dispensers has an optional module that will help automate the exception handling process with suppliers when they inevitably occur.