HDMA Track and Trace Technology Seminar - A Snapshot
Written By: Peter Monahan
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
I recently attended the HDMA Trace and Trace Technology seminar
in MD. It was my first HDMA seminar, and even though attendance was
down from previous years, it was a great opportunity to catch up with
many existing TraceLink customers.

The focus of the seminar was on serialization and EPCIS much more than
ePedigree. The general feeling seems to be that if an organization can
tackle the serialization/EPCIS challenges that lay ahead, then pedigrees
should follow on relatively easily. To an extent, I can see this point
as many of the underlying technologies and some of the processes are
shared between the domains. Yet, based on the work that we did back at
SupplyScape on the harmonization of serialization/EPCIS/ePedigree, much
depends on the definition of 'pedigree' and the specific use cases that
you want to support in business operations. If serialization and EPCIS
efforts push towards "point in time authentication" rather than
end-to-end chain of custody, there will still be much work to do to
incorporate the pedigree model.
Here are my takeaways from the sessions and coffee break discussions:
Pedigree Regulations
Not much has changed regarding pedigree regulations. There have been a
few changes to some of the state regulations (e.g. CO delayed to 2017),
but for the most part, it is status quo. In discussions, most people
seem to think that the FDA will eventually develop nationwide
regulations that are relatively close to the CA regulations.
Unfortunately, the representative from the FDA did not seem ready to
discuss the issue in any great detail at the event and did not offer any
particularly new insights. I suspect there might have been a desire to
keep a low profile given the policy tug of war going on in Washington.
However, he did use the term “centralized database” at one point when
speaking about technologies, which became a talking point in a few
follow-on discussions that I participated in.
CA Compliance Readiness
While in the past, much of the serialization discussion in the U.S.
centered on California, today, the majority of the serialization efforts
among manufacturers are occurring in Europe, not in the U.S. As a
result, U.S. based serialization vendors are shifting personnel to
Europe or partnering with local companies to meet demand.
In an interesting case of financial tug-of-war, supply chain operational
departments seem to be struggling to get budget for serialization
pilots in 2010 when the CA regulations are still 5-6 years away even
though they expect it to take multiple years to achieve full CA
compliant serialization in production. A familiar refrain from those
who have limited pilots in place to those who don’t is: “better get
started soon or you won’t make it”.
This leaves open the question of tying the two threads together. Work is
going on in Europe and resources are being shifted there yet
initiatives in the U.S. are being starved. One would like to say that
the European projects are a good testing ground for the requirements of
CA and perhaps Federal initiatives. Yet, knowing the unique technical
and process challenges in Europe, my take is: Don’t bet on it!
Interoperability Challenges
The industry as a whole continues to struggle with the interoperability
of the various available technologies. The roundtable discussion
regarding serial number aggregation, inference and data management drew
large groups who engaged in some vibrant debates.
Heather Zenk from AmerisourceBergen, who is a licensed pharmacist,
brought the plight of the pharmacist to the forefront. With so many
technologies being discussed, tested and piloted, organizations need to
make sure that they do not forget the pharmacist at the end of the line
who may not necessarily be technically savvy and who cannot be expected
to support a different technology from each vendor. These questions
arise at every step in the supply chain, although in my experience the
pharmacy has to deal with the added complexity of supporting the
“pharmacist bench” along with the normal receiving and internal
distribution processes.
The industry, regulatory bodies and standards orgs clearly have their
work cut out to define acceptable approaches to provide full end-to-end
product traceability.
GS1 2015 Readiness Program
One item that I heard a fair number of people discussing is the GS1 2015
Readiness Program that Bob Celeste announced. GS1 plans to simulate
serialized products moving through the supply chain to help
organizations gain valuable experience without having to spin up full
trading partner pilots. Follow this link
for more information.
All in all, it was a good event although you could feel the reticence of
the audience in truly committing towards any one initiative. Perhaps
understandable after the past few years of "hurry up and wait". The
unfortunate thing is that this cycle will probably continue until more
clarity is provided on many fronts.
AMR Healthcare Exchange an Evergreen Opportunity for Value
Written By: Shabbir Dahod
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
I recently attended the AMR Healthcare
Exchange and I walked away with a feeling of Déjà vu. First of all,
Hussain Mooraj and the AMR team do a great job of
stimulating ideas and connections for joint value creation at all ends
and aspects of the supply chain, including pharmaceutical, life sciences
and health care participants. As always there was a clear sense of
urgency and a feeling of lost time and missed opportunities. This was
accentuated by the closing remarks by Johnson and Johnson (J&J)
President of Supply Chain and Business Processes, Tom Sullivan. Tom
outlined the major value opportunities attained by CPG that remain
distant goals for the Healthcare industry. His challenge to the industry
was to do for life saving drugs and devices what we do for Coke cans.
This year’s conference provided case studies of value attainment by
connecting providers into a Demand-Driven Supply Network (DDSN) of
Pharmaceutical and BioTech companies. Roddy Martin made the case for
Patient Outcomes as the Moment of Truth for the Healthcare value chain.
From the presentations it was clear that significant value attainment
was possible when companies collaborated to identify and understand each
others business issues and in turn develop mutual trust to enhance
integrated cross-company business processes for shared and measurable
value.
The frustration and excitement for all of us is the sheer volume of
opportunity and the feeling that four years ago we were discussing the
same opportunities. Because other industries dominate the annual Top 25
Supply Chain list, Healthcare needs its own special list of Healthcare
Top 25 to identify the leaders in this lagging industry. However,
our industry has complexity and dynamics that require greater care and
hence can support change in very measured steps. These steps need more
investment and oversight in our industry.
As an entrepreneur by nature and profession, I am an optimist! In my
first job in the summer 1981, between high school and college, I worked
for an entrepreneur who was starting a company to provide Local Area
Networking (LAN) gear. In doing research for him I was so excited by the
fact that he was entering a market at a time when market data
identified the 1980’s as the Network Decade. As years and decades past, I
was told that every year was the breakthrough year and every decade was
the Network Decade. Now it is clear that networking is an endless
source of value which grows exponentially as it matures.
DDSN is the same class of evergreen opportunity and the Healthcare
industry is transforming to leverage the value from integrating
processes, people and information. The strategic imperatives in all
parts of the value chain require greater network integration for the
next level of financial performance. We work across the value chain and
it is obvious to us that business plans more so than regulatory force
will drive the adoption of supply network solutions.
Please share with me your perspective. Are you as optimistic as I am and
what parts of the supply chain do you see collaborating more
effectively?
Cancer Care Centers seek ePedigree counterfeiting protection
Written By: Brian Daleiden
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Interesting little article
popped up today by San Antonio TV station KENS 5 that discussed how the
Cancer Care Centers of South Texas are using E-Pedigree for drug
counterfeiting protection. CCS uses an ePedigree-based online tracking
system to help caregivers validate the authenticity of pharmaceuticals
prior to their delivery or dispensation to patients. The ePedigree
system helps create a secure chain of custody as a drug moves along the
supply chain while providing a quick snapshot of this chain of custody
at any time via a browser-based portal available at point of
dispensation. For cancer drugs, providing traceability through this kind
of anti-counterfeit barrier has been particularly important to
establish as the high value and demand of these pharmaceuticals make
them noted targets for counterfeiters.
Unlike many stories of these types, it was the human element of this
story that caught my eye. Often, the human side of the equation gets
lost when talking about anti-counterfeiting technologies and supply
chain traceability initiatives. The bits, bytes, system integration and
other business issues typically come to the foreground instead. Perhaps
this is understandable given everyone has a business to run and drug
track and trace systems can be likened to an insurance policy against
counterfeiting, diversion, theft, etc. Thus, a poignant comment made by
an oncologist in the story tended to stand out to me: “It’s very
important for patients to feel that where they are getting treated,
they’re actually getting what’s prescribed for them because it’s a
matter of life and death,” explained oncologist Dr. Anu Dham. “It’s
cancer treatment.”
I also have more than a casual interest in a story like this as CCS is
affiliated with US Oncology, a leading cancer treatment and research
network. US Oncology has been a long standing customer of TraceLink /
SupplyScape and we have worked closely with USO to assist them in
building out their portal-based online drug tracking system. I haven't
had the opportunity to visit one of USO's clinics in the past like
several of my colleagues here have. So, little stories like these are
particularly nice when they give you a little snapshot of those fighting
the good fight "from the field".
Technorati Claim Code Setup Pardon Our Dust
Written By: Brian Daleiden
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The team here at TraceLink continues to build away and that definitely
includes the marketing side of the house. As part of that, we are
working with a number of various directories and services such as
Technorati to get the word out. Those who have played w/ Technorati know
that it requires a post containing the claim token below to finalize a
listing on there.
A quick apology to our readers and subscribers for the interruption.
JJ8ESPQV3Z44
I mulled over a variety of schemes to "hide" the code from our dear
human readers but then thought "let's just tell it like it is".
Definitely an interesting spin on the question of knowing that you are
the "owner" of the blog.
I now return you to your regularly scheduled program...already in
progress.
PDMA drug pedigree reemerges...or does it?
Written By: Brian Daleiden
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
I was thinking about PDMA this week. What PDMA you ask? I am referring
to the Prescription
Drug Marketing Act of 1987 (enacted by Congress in 1988) that
contained several clauses intended help protect American consumers and
the overall drug supply from the risk of counterfeit, diverted or
adulterated pharmaceuticals. To this end, PDMA established that a
“pedigree” or chain of custody of the drug would be created that
provided legitimate participants in the drug distribution system with a
history of a drug's source.
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Why was I thinking about PDMA? Because in a little noticed action back
in September, the Federal District Court in Eastern New York threw out a
suit (RxUSA Wholesale Inc. v. Alcon Laboratories Inc. et al.) which had
the effect of creating an injunction against the FDA from implementing
the law. [Kudos to Pharmaceutical
Commerce for its coverage of this event.] Thus ends
another saga in the somewhat tumultuous history of the PDMA and its
supporting rules.
For those that weren’t keeping score, here are the highlights. After
enactment, the PDMA was modified by the Prescription Drug Amendments Act
of 1992. The PDMA required the FDA to promulgate implementing
regulations with respect to the pedigree provisions. As a result, the
agency issued a proposed rule in 1994 and published a set of final
regulations to the Federal Register (64 FR 67720) in 1999. Due to a
variety of concerns raised at the time, the FDA delayed the effective
date of two sections of the law. In 2006, the FDA finally announced that
it would no longer delay the effective date and everything looked set
for December 1, 2006. Until…that is…a complaint was filed in federal
district court by a set of wholesale distributors which sought judgment
against 21 CFR 203.50 for a variety of reasons including potentially
anti-competitive behavior. The complaint was quickly followed up with a
movement for preliminary injunction seeking to stay the effective date
once again until there was a final resolution of the case. The FDA
appealed in the spring of 2007, the injunction stopping enforcement
against non-Authorized Distributors of Record was upheld in July 2007
and the issue bounced around in the courts for the next two years. With
this September 2009 ruling in New York, that time seems to have come.
What I am curious about is what next shoe will drop. The regulatory
environment is very different now in 2009 than it was back in 2006. Back
then, Florida had just implemented a pretty stringent set of pedigree
regulations that had caused an initial upsurge in industry adoption of
pedigreed drug products. California was coming right on the heels of
Florida in 2007 and numerous other states were either enacting or
discussing pedigree regulations. So, even though PDMA had its own unique
set of data and process rules, it was just one more requirement to put
into the hopper while companies were very active with projects in this
area.
Today, life is different. The state environment is much less active,
particularly given the California delay to 2015+. Many companies have
already implemented their systems and processes to handle current
business and operational requirements in this area. Much of the current
work going on focuses on drug serialization, secure distribution and
overall pharmaceutical traceability pilots. Instead, all eyes are turned
towards the federal government but for very different reasons than
PDMA. The FDA’s Amendments Act of 2007 (FDAAA) kicked off a set of
initiatives and FDA guidance, one facet of which relates to the
development of standardized numerical identifiers (SNIs) for
prescription drug packages. As originally stated, by March 2010, the FDA
shall develop a standard identifier and by October 2012 all
manufacturers and repackagers of pharmaceutical drugs in the US have to
have applied package level SNI’s to their product lines. In addition,
bills such as Buyer-Matheson and others continue to get introduced in
Congress which have varying levels of pedigree, pharmaceutical
traceability, drug serialization and other track and trace requirements.
And yes…there is something about heath care reform I seem to remember
hearing something about.
While there are a myriad of details related to the FDAAA, SNIs and the
general concept of a serialized “federal pedigree” which are beyond the
scope of this particular post, it does throw into question the current
role of the PDMA pedigree and the FDA’s support of it. Now that the road
is clear, will the FDA push forward with more vigorous enforcement
beyond than which was laid out in the Compliance Policy Guide back in
2006? Will the FDA keep its powder dry given the onset of new
regulations stemming from FDAAA and other federal initiatives? Will the
ongoing health care reform debate and its implications for FDA policy
keep this issue generally on the back burner for now? Finally, does the
concept of “pedigree” as defined in PDMA even make sense in this
environment? With all the ongoing analysis, debate and technology work
occurring in serialization technology, EPCIS systems and other track and
trace approaches, is the best approach to just start fresh with
pharmaceutical traceability?
My view is that it might be hard for the FDA to justify any aggressive
enforcement of PDMA at this point given the potential for new
pharmaceutical traceability requirements next year and the uncertain
implications for the industry given health care reform.
I see that at the upcoming HDMA
Track and Trace Technology event starting on Nov. 30th, David
Dorsey, Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Planning and Budget for the FDA
will be speaking. Mr. Dorsey’s presentation will cover broad ground
including the aforementioned FDAAA regulations and the SNI initiative.
It will be interesting to see if Mr. Dorsey will also provide a glimpse
in to the current thinking on PDMA. Our own Peter Monahan will be
providing a detailed readout of the entire HDMA event. So, check back to
see if PDMA has emerged from the shadows and what other hot button
issues have bubbled up!
Peeking behind the Cloud by CNN
Written By: Brian Daleiden
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
We at TraceLink have been taking a hard look at Cloud computing for a
while now and it isn't a huge surprise. The solutions we built at
SupplyScape shifted from on-premise software with perpetual licenses to
SaaS-based software with term licenses back in 2005. There was
admittedly a lot of wailing and knashing of teeth as we tried to
determine the appetite in the pharmaceutical supply chain for hosted
software running critical operations. To the surprise of a few of us,
adoption actually occurred pretty quickly as performance and security
questions were quickly put to rest. As a result, our SaaS infrastructure
continues to bubble along nicely running our Nexus, E-Pedigree and
RxAuthentication solutions.
Thus, my antenna was up as I came across this
article (and video) by CNN today. Fun stuff! The synopsis is
that the author (John Sutter) basically woke up one day and became
intrigued at where does all of his data go when he uses Flickr, Google,
YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, etc. The hunt is on as the John starts down
the path of trying to put his arms around the Cloud. (Spoiler Alert)
What John finds is that the Cloud is far from soft and fuzzy...rather it
is made up of a huge infrastructure of data centers, servers and all of
the other accouterments of a typical IT shop. Now, that isn't exactly a
surprise to us here but his exploration is a fun ride. Especially as he
tries to get the people in charge of these systems to talk about them.

One question in particular that Mr. Sutter raises relates to service
levels and trust in an infrastructure that you have a hard time
touching. As he puts it: "I thought about what I want in a cloud
service. I want my data to be available all the time. And I don't want
there to be any chance the company could lose it, a tricky request since
the hardware that stores our data is designed to fail from time to
time." This is a common question that we have worked with customers
on over the years and our own John
Kordash will be diving deeply into the Cloud in all its glory over
the next few months. Until then...don't let the Cloud rain on your
parade!
Pharma and Twitter - Patients and Providers but what about Operations?
Written By: Brian Daleiden
Friday, October 30, 2009
I have been keeping an eye on Twitter for a while now. Not that I paint
myself as an expert by any stretch of the imagination and Tweeting is
still more of an activity that I consciously force myself to think about
rather than feeling it is part of my DNA. A little different than, say,
our own Peter Spellman here who I swear needs a third hand just to keep
up with all the ideas that he would like to convey. Can you say
drinking from the fire hose??
Much of the buzz about Tweeting usually centers on its usage for
personal interests. A 24x7 channel for thoughts and ideas that you want
to share. What has been on my mind lately, though, has been the
business communications side of the issue. In that light, any new
bi-directional channel that enables me to listen to what others have to
say and improves my ability to communicate back to them is great.
A recent post
by ePharmaRx
got me thinking more about how this channel is used and viewed by the
Pharmaceutical industry. As ePharmaRx comments, many pharmaceutical
companies have just started to "officially" Tweet in the past year. This
is somewhat understandable given the concerns noted in several places
over the liability issues involved, particularly in the patient care
arena. Certainly, these official channels are somewhat separated from
the individual discussions that pharma employees have already opened via
Twitter.
So what about the operational groups and Twitter? How do the people
leading the charge in manufacturing, supply chain, contract outsourcing
and other functions view and use it? Based on my conversations with
people in these areas, the responses are all over the map. Some are
starting to find it a valuable new channel for "pushed" information from
companies and individuals which they can take note of if interested or
ignore if not. Others are keeping Twitter solely in the personal realm,
for now.
This is an issue that we here at TraceLink are looking at closely. Today
there are such a variety of ways for us to share information about what
we are doing, listen to what others are doing and gain quick, pointed
feedback on key issues. What exactly is the right role in B2B for the
140 character soundbite?
Pharmaceutical Supply Network Challenges Continue According to IMS Health Forecast
Written By: Brian Daleiden
Friday, October 23, 2009
Based on the recently released IMS Health industry forecast, it looks like the
macroeconomic trends driving increased complexity in pharmaceutical
manufacturing (both organic and contract manufacturing), supply chain
operations and sourcing will continue to grow. The question facing the
planning and operations leaders in these areas is how to get ahead of
this curve.
According to the new report, the seven "Pharmerging" markets comprised
of China, Brazil, India, South Korea, Mexico, Turkey and Russia will
contribute more than half of the expected global market growth in 2009.
While this share in 2009 is higher than the recent historical average,
these seven markets will be the source of more than 40 percent of total
global growth through 2013. This trend isn't surprising as these
countries are still climbing up the curve of broad access to primary
care, particularly in rural areas. Improved health insurance access is
stimulating improved health care regimens while the traditional focus on
acute care and infectious disease treatment is giving way to a new
focus on longer-term care of chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular
diseases and diabetes.
As this trend shows no signs of abating anytime soon, the question that
has been facing many of our customers is: Do we make tactical
adjustments in our manufacturing and supply chain plans or is now the
time to look at a strategic change in the way we do business? Markets
are becoming increasingly global yet at the same time the specific
desires of each country and region are becoming more local. In parallel,
the growing emphasis on operational improvement stimulates a desire for
global sourcing and global access to contract manufacturing, packaging
and distribution partners. This push into a more virtual environment is
straining traditional management processes and technologies to the
limit.
Is now the time to completely reexamine the foundation that all this
operates on?
Contract Pharma 2009 - The Pharma Outsourcing Event Recap
Written By: Brian Daleiden
Saturday, October 10, 2009
The TraceLink team just returned from this
year's Contract Pharma conference and we all agree that it was a stellar
event. Interesting and diverse sessions on a range of issues from
globalization, pharmaceutical outsourcing and clinical manufacturing
were combined with an enthusiastic audience and smooth logistics. This
was the second time we have attended and in my opinion, the bang-up job
that Gil Roth's Contract Pharma team continues to do is one reason for
the great crowd this year.
While I really cannot do the speakers justice in representing their
sessions, a few comments did jump out at me:
- Mac Lynch (VP, Contract Manufacturing, Pfizer Global Manufacturing) highlighted several expected benefits of outsourcing that revolved around the general theme of agility in the face of uncertainty. This has been a recurring theme in many of our customer discussions. Namely, as therapies get more targeted and markets get more diversified, it becomes even more imperative to create network flexibility, manage demand volatility and address new product uncertainty in a capital-efficient manner.
- Rachael Zuckerman (Research Analyst, Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development) talked about the explosion of contract clinical services. The number of companies actively managing clinical projects more than doubled in recent years to over 2,300 in 2008 according to Rachael's research. Combined with the growing globalization of clinical trials (32% of all CTs in 2007), this has been putting pressure on sponsors to find ways to effectively manage these far-flung operations. Rachael's research also highlighted how a focus on accountability can improve the contracting process. Driving visibility into operations and creating insight through knowledge management promotes the ability to optimize new contracts and reduce the number of contract changes.
- Deirdre Ogorzalek (Celgene Corp.) discussed how important it is to understand the team culture and process working style of your contract partner. While the going-in position of a sponsor may be to outline a specific working model for its partner, the reality is that the day-to-day working style and communication methods will greatly impact how a project is ultimately executed. So, creating bi-directionally open communications between the project teams on both sides is crucial in delivering a project that meet outlined KPIs and SLA metrics.
ContractPhama makes the presentations delivered at the event available to anybody via a simple registration process. This is a refreshing approach compared to the fees that other events will change for event proceedings. I urge anyone who wants to gain a 360-degree view of the current environment to check them out!
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