Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - April 2008 - (Page 17) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe April 2008 Technology: Supply Chain 17 Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries Associations (EFPIA), are creating databases to capture and mange serialised product data. The intent is to use this information, coupled with product master and reimbursement data for product authentication, initiation of reimbursement, and integration with electronic medical record systems. Pharmaceutical manufacturers want to forecast demand better and secure sales channels to protect patients, their brands and margins. One of the ways in which manufacturers are working to secure the integrity of the supply chain is through eHealth, or healthcare practices that are supported by electronic processes and communication. Companies are also cautious about sharing data, as it could be used for competitive advantage. Third, the integrity of the data flowing through any healthcare eco-system is still largely dependent on manual data entry. Data integrity assurance measures data availability, timing, completeness and correctness. The healthcare eco-system has not traditionally monitored or measured data integrity because there was little requirement to share data. Conclusion While it is certain that these obstacles have slowed the adoption of eHealth, it is also certain that adoption will continue to grow at a steady pace. The ageing population continues to drive cost reduction, quality of care improvement and labour saving innovations. Healthcare is increasingly consumer driven and the public will demand the same convenience and efficiency from their healthcare provider as they get from their bank. Government agencies will continue to focus on population safety. The choice for members of the healthcare eco-system is not if, but how and when, to adopt collaborative eHealth strategies. ■ Mass serialisation impacts to eHealth A common technical thread for eHealth is the need to access and collate information from several partners, information sources and geographic locations. For example, the value for industry-supported track and trace technologies is visibility across the pharmaceutical supply chain to detect and prevent product counterfeiting and diversion. Companies like AZ are integrating this technology with mobile phone technology to ensure patient safety by enabling points along the supply chain to query their database to verify product authenticity. Visibility is also important to ensure healthcare systems can provide counter-measures in the event of a serious public health event. In the US, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is prototyping visibility and informatics technology to monitor quantities and location of selected critical pharmaceuticals and medical materials in the commercial market. During an emergency, the CDC would co-ordinate this information with corresponding data from federal stockpiles to provide a full view of the nation’s available supply of critical drugs. Both of these supply chain visibility examples are driven by medical safety concerns; however, as these technologies become widely deployed, significant supply chain efficiency use cases will be implemented. It is estimated that close to four billion dollars of pharmaceuticals expire each year in the US due to supply chain inefficiencies. About the Author Kim Loughead is the director of Healthcare Solutions Marketing at Axway (US), a provider of collaborative business solutions. Prior to joining Axway in December 2006, Kim was director of eCommerce and Emerging Technologies for McKesson Corporation. While there, Kim led McKesson’s “On Track with Item serialisation” initiative and successfully deployed McKesson’s Pedigree programme Kim has over 16 years of technology experience in the area of international logistics and supply chain management, with the last five focused on the healthcare supply chain. Obstacles for adoption While the regulatory and economic drivers for adoption of collaborative eHealth are strong, there are significant obstacles to adoption. First, as is often the case in technology evolution, technical standards required for interoperability and widespread adoption are lagging behind early innovators. Second, the healthcare industry has traditionally been cautious about sharing data. Medical records and prescription information are highly confidential and recent high profile security breaches highlight the issues of storing patient data in electronic form. http://www.cdc.gov/
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