QR Codes Mandatory for Vaccines: Pharmaceutical companies must include a barcode or QR code on their product packaging. If space is limited, this code can be placed on secondary packaging.

QR code mandatory on medicines

QR Codes Mandatory for Vaccines: The central government has taken a major decision regarding medicines. Now, QR codes will be mandatory on vaccines, antibiotics, cancer drugs, and narcotics. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has amended the Drugs Rules 1945 to implement this. Until now, this rule only applied to the country's top 300 drug brands. Now, its scope has been expanded to include all vaccines, antibiotics, narcotic and psychotropic drugs covered under the NDPS Act, and all cancer drugs.

QR code will be mandatory on the product packaging.

According to the new rule, pharmaceutical companies will be required to include a barcode or QR code on their product packaging. If space is limited on the packaging, this code can be placed on secondary packaging. Scanning this code will allow users to view complete information about the drug. The QR code will include the drug's unique code, its generic and brand name, the company's name and address, batch number, date of manufacture and expiry, manufacturing license number, and, if necessary, information about the drug's ingredients.

Fake and substandard medicines will be easily identified.

The government says this decision will help curb the circulation of counterfeit and substandard medicines. It will facilitate identification and testing at every stage of the supply chain. It will also help combat antimicrobial resistance, a problem associated with the adverse effects of antibiotics, by making it easier to identify counterfeit and weak antibiotics.

The rule will come into effect from July 1, 2027

Companies have been given ample time to implement the new rules. These rules will apply to vaccines, narcotics, and cancer drugs from July 1, 2027. The rules for antibiotics will be implemented from July 1, 2028.