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Chain Drugstore Daily Sunday, April 28, 2019 1 4 DSCSA: From Compliance to ROI in the Rx Reverse Supply Chain By Lari Harding, Vice President, Strategy and Marketing, Inmar The Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) requires that every prescription drug saleable package and case have its own unique identifier in machine and human readable forms. The machine- readable form must be a 2D Datamatrix barcode that contains the following: national drug code; serial number; lot number; and expiration date. The pharmaceutical industry has spent millions of dollars working to make the drug supply chain safer, more transparent and compliant with these requirements since they were signed into law in 2013. It's important to note, how- ever, that DSCSA does not have require- ments for reverse distribution today. In the case of saleable returns, a dis- penser may return product to the trading partner they purchased the product from without providing serialized information. In addition, for non-saleable returns, a dispenser may return product to the man- ufacturer or repackager, to the wholesale distributor from whom the product was purchased, to a returns processor or to a person acting on their behalf without pro- viding serialized information. While regulatory obligations do not currently exist in the reverse supply chain, there is significant business value that can be gained by leveraging these same identification requirements. The returns process today starts with a pharmacy identifying recalled, dam- aged or expired product that needs to be returned. This is done on a weekly, bi- weekly, monthly or quarterly basis. Returns processors then receive the prod- uct and process it by collecting a number of data elements, applying the manufac- turer's return policy and preparing a debit memo to the manufacturer. This current process may involve manufacturers or their agent investing significant time and resources to research and validate the pharmacy as well as the specific purchasing contract that should be applied to the returns transaction. Only after complet- ing all of these steps is the manufacturer ready to provide credits. Not only is this an inexact science, it takes a long time to complete the reconciliation process. It's not unusual for six to 12 months to pass before reconciliation is completed and the returning entity receives credit for their returns. The 2D serialized barcode is bring- ing new opportunities to speed the credit process, make the credit dollars exact and further improve the safety and secu- rity of our supply chain. Inmar is work- ing with pharmaceutical manufacturers on technology solutions that will enable: exact credit based on a serial code match to a specific buyer and invoice; immedi- ate notification of suspect product dis- covery when serial codes cannot be val- idated or are known to have been previ- ously reported as destroyed; improved recall reporting to the FDA on all prod- uct returns during a recall event; and a more complete track and trace system that will include data to support the retirement of serial codes once they have been destroyed. Inmar is continuing to drive improvements to the pharmaceutical supply chain in the areas of security, data capture and information exchange. Our investment in solutions that bring additional regulatory expertise and quality assurance to pharmacies, wholesalers and manufacturers will deliver incremental business value by innovatively leveraging the requirements of the FDA's Drug Supply Chain Security Act. Inmar is uniquely qualified to take Rx returns to the next level of security and efficiency due to our advanced tech- nological capabilities and our unmatched experience serving clients across the entire industry including pharmaceutical manufacturers, wholesalers, retail phar- macies and hospital pharmacies. Come work with Inmar on developing the next generation of technological solutions that will produce better business outcomes in reverse logistics. For more information, go to www.inmar.com or stop by booth #430. McKeon Products – Quality Wellness Solutions for Taking Care of Yourself Our world isn't getting any quieter, and the consumer demand for effective and comfortable ways to reduce noise is growing. About 20 percent of Americans report some degree of hearing loss, and a significant amount of that is thought to be preventable. Protecting the ears is key to maintaining healthy hearing throughout one's lifetime. Using earplugs is a sim- ple, convenient and effective way to buffer loud and abusive noises. Mack's is the No. 1 doctor recommended earplug brand to prevent hearing loss. Nielsen ear plug and filter data shows that shoppers strongly prefer the Mack's brand and the quality it delivers over any other brand. The past 52 weeks of sales show Mack's earplugs drove the highest volume of any brand or private label, and continues to significantly out- perform private label and other branded solutions. Mack's star product, it's Snore Blockers ear plugs, delivered a 35 per- cent-unit increase through the register, while most other branded and private label alternatives experienced declines. This is a clear indication that Mack's ear plugs should be a part of every retailer's ear care set. Ann Springhetti, Vice President of Marketing, said, "When selecting noise reduction solutions, consumers value comfort as much as effectiveness. The most common request is for help with sleeping, and especially dealing with a snorer. We have even had people tell us that 'Mack's saved my marriage.' Consumers continue to be split over pref- erences for foam (inside the ear) or sili- cone (over the ear) products, so it is important to offer both solutions." For 56 years, McKeon Products, the owner of the Mack's brand, has focused on creating the best solutions for ear pro- tection. It makes more than 90 ear plug solutions, with varying degrees of sound suppression, size and color. Specialized focuses are on sleeping, swimming (waterproof), playing music, hunting/gun ranges and traveling. Mack's FlightGuard earplugs are spe- cially designed to relieve airplane pres- sure; they are gently flanged with a ceramic filter to provide the most com- fortable and effective relief for airplane pressure available on the market. Plus, they are reusable. Mack's Maximum Protection earplugs offer a 33dB (deci- bel) noise reduction rating, the highest available on the market. Over the years, McKeon has expanded into creating a range of addi- tional wellness products with self-care solutions. Mack's Audibles is a personal sound amplification product (PSAP) that conveniently boosts sound to hear speech and audio more clearly. It will enhance hearing by up to 40dB, and has a sleek appearance. McKeon's LunaGuard brand provides super-comfortable, super-thin protection for consumers who clench or grind teeth at night (bruxism). McKeon is actively engaged in cre- ating additional innovations for its upcoming pipeline. See the current full range of products on www.macksearplugs.com.