Assessing the implementation of serialisation in pharmaceutical industry in Greece: A qualitative approach

Abstract

In a competitive environment such as the pharmaceutical sector the necessity for visibility of the supply chain is currently not only an idea in regulators' minds but also a challenge for the key stakeholders. The aim of the study is to reflect the current status of serialisation implementation in the pharmaceutical industry, discover interests and expectations and explore the post implementation environment. A stakeholder analysis was conducted to assess the importance of each stakeholder. Furthermore, to discover interests and expectations, analyse the status and explore what is coming next when serialisation will be effective, personal in-depth interviews with subject material experts took place. Our results indicate that manufacturers, CMOS and re-packagers are most impacted, and serialisation is a necessity for regulation compliance. Its implementation aims to bring important changes, the impacts are gradually visible and the journey until it is fully implemented will last for some years to come.