IDMA urges DGFT to keep in abeyance launch of tracing & tracking system for exporters.

The pharma exporters in the country have urged the union commerce ministry to keep in abeyance the ministry's notification issued on January 10 this year implementing the new barcode technology for tracing and tracking of export consignment of pharmaceuticals and drugs on the plea that to build track and trace capability for exported medicines using barcode technology as per GS 1 global standards is cumbersome, time-consuming and costly.

In a letter to the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Indian Drug Manufacturers Association's chairman (foreign trade sub-committee) DB Mody said that if the item number 3 of the notification is implemented, it will have a far reaching effect in the exports and there will be lot of delay in producing the products and to follow the procedures which is tedious and time consuming.

The item number 3 of the ministry's notification mentions that the exporter of pharmaceutical products will build track and trace capability for their exported medicines using barcode technology as per GS 1 global standards. The same will need to be done at primary, secondary and tertiary level packaging labels.

In his letter Mody said, “by introducing the new system, we as a country are giving a wrong impression to the importing countries that we are producing counterfeit drugs and therefore government of India has put this type of restriction”. Regarding counterfeit drugs, he said that MNCs are doing anti-propaganda against the Indian manufacturers because they cannot compete with the Indian manufacturers who are producing quality products which is comparable with the international market. “We have more than 3500 exporters and to implement this system is not practical and we are not aware that such type of machineries are available in India and exporters in small scale sector cannot afford to implement this system”, Mody in his letter to the DGFT said.

Stating that there is no justifiable significant advantage of implementing such procedures as the main goal of tracking the individual pack is not insured, the Mody asked the commerce ministry to call an 'open house meet' only for pharmaceutical manufacturers to listen to their difficulties in implementing the new system.

Source : .pharmabiz.com