Impact of track and trace integration on pharmaceutical production systems

Abstract

In today's competitive economic environment, track and trace (the capability to determine present andpast locations of products through the whole supplychain) is becoming an increasingly urgent necessity anda key differentiator in many industries, enhancingpilferage reduction, counterfeit prevention and targetedrecalls, and improving supply chain efficiency, synchronization, visibility, and security. Thepharmaceutical industry, together with the foodindustry, is one of the most advanced in traceabilitysystem implementation, as it has found to be stronglyaffected by the counterfeiting phenomenon. In thispaper, a brief overview of traceability internationalregulations in the pharmaceutical sector and of theimpact of its implementation on production processesand logistics will be continued, in order to highlight themain drivers of its large and fast diffusion. Technologiesdeveloped will also be presented and criticalities, andthe benefits of traceability system implementation willbe analysed.