Drugmakers have gotten one other extension, this time up to August 1, to assist implement the Track and Trace system for export of prescribed drugs consignments.
On the playing cards for a minimum of eight years, the system was mooted as a measure to handle counterfeit and product recall challenges. The newest extension, from the sooner March 31 deadline, got here within the backdrop of pharma exporters’ physique Pharmexcil’s illustration to the Commerce Department citing members’ difficulties in becoming a member of the system.
“The date for implementation of Track and Trace system for export of drug formulations with respect to maintaining the parent-child relationship in packaging levels and its uploading on central portal has been extended upto 1.08.2023 for both SSI and non SSI manufactured drugs,” the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) stated in a latest notification.
Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil) Director General Ravi Udaya Bhaskar dominated out the probability of any additional delay within the system’s roll out. “We have already paid C-DAC who is working on this [project], thus no further postponement will be there,” he stated, highlighting how product traceability was part of good manufacturing practices.
All manufacturing knowledge relies on traceability and the barcode, below the system, on the packaging may also help establish the supply in addition to serve to stop sabotage. Asserting that the Track and Trace system is the necessity of the hour, he stated the extensions had been necessitated on account of different points going through the business, together with these triggered by the pandemic. As a facilitation measure, the Centre had made obtainable a ₹25 lakh grant, for the barcode equipment, to SSI items.
Initially, secondary and tertiary packing will get coated below the system, the first packing shall be included at a later stage, Mr. Bhaskar added.
India’s pharmaceutical exports for the primary 11 months of FY23, rose more than 3% to $22.90 billion amid challenges, together with an increase in uncooked materials costs. The exports are estimated to have ended the fiscal at about $25 billion, higher than the earlier yr however lacking the $27 billion goal.
