Dubai pledges to roll out track-and-trace for drugs in 2020

Dubai says it will be the first United Arab Emirates country to implement a full track-and-trace system for medicines in 2020.

The emirate introduce batch coding of medicines in 2017 – based on a GS1 data matrix codes carrying a medicine’s Global Trade Identifier Number (GTIN), expiration date and batch/lot number.

The Dubai Health Authority says the new serialization initiative will for the first time allow it to monitor medications manufactured in the UAE and overseas “from the production line to prescription.”

In a statement, the DHA said the new system will help stop patients being exposed to falsified drugs, reduce health insurance fraud, help maintain medicine inventory and avoid shortages.

It also confirmed it has started discussions with pharmaceutical manufacturing and supply companies to plan the implementation of the new system.

Image by Olga Ozik from Pixabay