Mint Explainer: QR codes or barcodes now mandatory for top 300 medicines
Mint takes a closer look. It has been brought to ensure the authenticity of drugs, as the code will contain details such as the manufacturer's name and the date of expiry, among other things.
Though QR codes have not been mandatory until now, some drugmakers have been putting them on packages voluntarily. But owing to the absence of regulation, these QR codes lack uniformity.
In the first phase, the government has targeted around 300 lifesaving drugs from major pharma brands that constitute about 35% of the total market value. The new protocol applies to all local and foreign companies that manufacture these brands for marketing in the country.
They should include the following details: a unique product identification code; the brand name and generic name of the drug, name and address of the manufacturer; batch number; date of manufacturing; date of expiry; and manufacturing licence number. In case there isn’t enough space for this on primary package label, it should be on the secondary package label.
According to the government, products should preferably be imported with barcodes or QR codes already affixed. If it isn’t, the company in question can do so in India after obtaining permission from the licensing authority as required under the Drugs Rules, 1945.
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