By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal on Thursday chaired a meeting with the Pakistan Veterinary Pharmaceutical Association to review the proposed implementation of a 2D barcode system and traceability mechanism for veterinary and poultry medicines.
The meeting discussed measures to strengthen the identification, monitoring and traceability of veterinary medicines and improve safeguards against counterfeit and substandard products.
Syed Mustafa Kamal stressed the need to eliminate fake and substandard medicines, saying the 2D barcode system would help ensure that medicines were safe, authentic and verifiable throughout the supply chain.
He said work on implementing 2D barcodes on medicines had been underway for the past one-and-a-half years and emphasized the importance of effective regulatory oversight and monitoring.
The minister said medicines used for animals were also directly linked to human health, making effective regulation, quality control and monitoring of veterinary medicines essential under the One Health approach.
The meeting also discussed cooperation with the veterinary pharmaceutical sector and measures required for the effective implementation of the traceability system.
