Medicines sold in India to have compulsory bar codes

In a significant move,  India’s health ministry has added schedule H2 to make barcodes on the medicines sold within the country mandatory. The move, the government says will ensure authenticity and traceability through the manufacturing and supply chain.The move will come into effect from August 1, 2023, and will be labeled as Aadhar card of medicines.

According to reports, a unique QR code will carry all the information of medicines including

• Product identification code.
• Proper and generic name of the drug.
• Brand name.
• Name and address of the manufacturer.
• Batch number.
• Date of manufacture.
• Expiry date.
• Manufacturing license number.

In the first phase, the barcode and QR code will be printed on 300 medicine brands which have wide consumers. The list of brands selected for the first phase is listed in an order released by the government.