Latest Phase of DSCSA became effective March 1, 2016

Smith Drug Company has developed the programming and electronic interface for its independent pharmacy and long-term care customers to comply with the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA). The law has a 10-year implementation schedule requiring manufacturers, wholesale drug distributors and pharmacies to work with the FDA to identify and trace prescription drugs as they are distributed in the United States.

“As requirements in our industry grow more and more complex, Smith Drug Company is working to provide our customers with compliance tools that offer seamless implementation,” said Brian Purscell, RPh, senior vice president, Pharmacy Solutions at Smith Drug Company. “The fact that we have leveraged our in-house expertise to develop, program and launch this interface means that it was designed specifically for our pharmacy customers to offer them a custom solution to meet their needs.

In addition to providing pharmacies easy access to all required traceability data, Smith Drug Company provides additional functionality, allowing appropriately licensed pharmacies the ability to easily generate traceability documentation for any occasional forward sale, such as to a clinic, doctor’s office or another pharmacy.

“Because we know that simply meeting requirements isn’t enough, we chose to go the extra mile and offer our customers tools unique to their practice,” explained Purscell. “Our system makes compliance simpler for our customers to retrieve and manage the information required by DCSA”

DSCSA was designed to protect consumers from exposure to drugs that may be counterfeit, stolen, contaminated, or otherwise harmful. The system will enable verification of the legitimacy of the drug product identifier down to the package level, enhance detection and notification of illegitimate products and facilitate more efficient recalls of drug products.

“We are proud of our long tradition of excellent customer service, making sure our customers have what they need when they need it” said Jeff Foreman, RPh, president of Smith Drug Company. “By ensuring our customers can quickly and easily generate traceability documentation, we are giving them more time to focus on patient care, with less time spent on paperwork.”

Smith Drug Company is the original division of J M Smith Corporation, and one of America’s premier wholesale drug distributors. Launched in 1944, the division serves pharmacies in 25 states, the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands through distribution centers in Spartanburg; Paragould, AR; and Valdosta, GA.

South Carolina’s third-largest privately owned company, the J M Smith Corporation is headquartered in Spartanburg and operates through multiple business units: Smith Drug Company, QS/1, Integral Solutions Group, RxMedic Systems, Inc., and Integra LTC Solutions, LLC. 

https://www.smithdrug.com/news/2016/03/07/smith-drug-company-assists-pharmacy-customers-with-dscsa-implementation