The monitoring of products throughout the medical supply chain is critical to the safety of patients, it was suggested this week.
Following the US House of Representatives' passing of the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act, which makes provisions for the improvement of patient safety, the Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA) expressed its approval for new measures to track and trace prescription medicines.
John M Gray, chief executive officer and president of HDMA, said the organisation had made moves in previous years to introduce this type of tracking system and maximise its potential to protect the supply chain from counterfeit products.
"It is critical that manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies continue to work together and with the government to develop consistent systems that support the unique identification, tracking and tracing of products," he said.
Meanwhile, the HDMA recently announced that former prime minister Tony Blair is to give the keynote address at the HDMA 2007 Annual Leadership Forum in Arizona next month.
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