Pharmaceutical products began to receive a digital "passport" in Kazakhstan

A pilot project on digital labeling of medicines is being implemented in Kazakhstan. 4 Kazakhstani manufacturers, 1 importer, 2 distributors, 5 pharmacies and 8 medical institutions, as well as IC "Pharmacy" take part in the pilot. Since September 2019, almost 100 thousand packages of medicines have been marked as part of the "pilot".

The pilot project allows pharmaceutical companies to test the process of labeling drugs by means of identification and traceability, to determine the optimal labeling equipment depending on the capacity of the lines. At the same time, solutions for large manufacturers are selected based on the characteristics of each line in accordance with the shape of the manufactured drug packages, and small businesses can use equipment for applying Data Matrix codes by labeling.

"Mandatory digital labeling will ensure transparency of the movement of medicines throughout the life cycle and will increase quality control of drugs. Including the introduction of digital labeling will reflect the real situation with drug provision. With the help of labeling, importers and manufacturers will be able to see which drugs are not enough in warehouses. This will allow you to anticipate in advance where there is a threat of a shortage of medicines. Also, thanks to labeling, the competitive conditions of business introduction will improve. The volume of production, trade will increase, and the level of shadow turnover will also decrease," Chairman of the Medical and Pharmaceutical Control Committee of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan Bauyrzhan Baiserkin stressed.

Within the framework of the "pilot", information about medicines was entered into the Information System of Labeling and Traceability of Goods (IMPT). Next, the system generated a Data Matrix code for each package. The code contains digital information about the manufacturer, importer, serial number of the batch of goods and other information necessary to control its movement. The Data Matrix code cannot be forged due to cryptographic protection.

Among the labeled drugs is a drug for the treatment of cancer - Trastuzumab. The labeled batches of this drug have passed all the way of traceability from the manufacturer to the hospital - a multidisciplinary medical center in Nur-Sultan. The hepatoprotector Ursozim and the antiallergic drug Ketotifen were also labeled. Batches with Data Matrix code, which were received by the metropolitan pharmacy chains "Europharm" and "Hippocrates". Another batch of labeled packages of expensive drugs for the treatment of hepatitis C and HIV infection - Sofosbuvir and Emtricitobin were delivered to the Karasai Multidisciplinary Interdistrict Hospital, the Almaty Regional Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS and Kapshagai City Hospital.

"The share of the shadow pharmaceutical market in Kazakhstan reaches 11%, in monetary terms it is about 57 billion tenge. Illegal drug trafficking causes economic damage to the state and business, and most importantly, it poses a great threat to the life and health of the population. According to WHO, up to 1 million people die from counterfeit medicines every year in the world. Complaints about the quality of medicines from Kazakhstanis are also registered by thousands. Digital labeling of medical products can be an effective solution to protect the market from counterfeit," says Olzhas Bekturov, Managing Director of the Center for the Development of the Digital Economy.

Digital labeling of goods is an international project implemented on the territory of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Mandatory labeling of tobacco products in Kazakhstan has already been introduced since October 1, 2020. Mandatory labeling of shoes starts from July 1, 2021. At the moment, "pilots" are also being implemented for the digital labeling of alcohol, dairy products and light industry goods.