NeoMedia Technologies, Inc (NEOM)

[krays]

Ensuring the safety of medicines in the EU:
GS1 Standards in Healthcare

Global and open standards permit full interoperability and compatibility. End users are
not locked into proprietary solutions. It also strengthens the competitiveness of
European companies by aligning national solutions and thus removing barriers impeding
access to other markets.
Country-specific regulations may satisfy the needs of those countries, but when products
move across borders throughout the global supply chain, this causes problems:
- difficult to achieve implementation on a national level due to the complexity of the
myriad of systems required for various local requirements
- identification numbering schemes developed for one tracking system won’t
necessarily be recognised by another
- the cost burden to the stakeholders in the Healthcare supply chain will increase
significantly
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/pharmaceuticals/pharmacommunication/contributions/industry/gs1_european_commission_consultation_pharmaceuticals_gs1_hug.pdf

EFPIA is making plans to launch a pilot scheme of a unique bar code system, which will
enable the pharmacist to verify each medicine pack before dispensing it to the patient. This
pilot will be launched before the end of 2008. The technology used – the 2 dimensional
data matrix – is considered the best option today and could be used as an EU standard

http://www.sefh.es/sefhpublicaciones/boletinesEAHP/Junio2008.pdf

4. Format
For discussion purposes, ISMP Canada proposes that the data format standards
developed by either GS1 or HIBCC be deemed acceptable.
5. Symbology
For discussion purposes, ISMP Canada proposes that the guidelines recommend
two-dimensional (Data Matrix) symbology.
http://www.ismp-canada.org/download/PharmaceuticalBarCodingtoImprovePatientSafety-ISMPCanadaJan08.pdf