Three Questions To Consider For DQSA Readiness

Last November, after much anticipation, the U.S. pharmaceutical industry saw the enactment of the Drug Quality and Security Act (DQSA), which includes in Title II the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA). The DSCSA addresses national pharmaceutical track and trace requirements, and industry stakeholders must now prepare themselves for the first round of deadlines for lot-level traceability starting January 1, 2015. The DSCSA supersedes previous state e-pedigree laws and provides additional time for companies to start preparing for item-level serialization, which will not be required to begin until 2017. The expectation for a full e-pedigree system to be implemented is in 2023.

In preparation for these guidelines, it is important for companies to follow a framework as they assess their organizations’ readiness to meet DSCSA compliance. A successful program will do so by evaluating the impacts to their business processes and governance, technical solutions, and trading partner relationships.