To conform to statutory requirements, from 1 July 2020 Akrikhinsuccessfully launched a drug labelling and track&trace system for all pharmaceutical products manufactured at the site in Staraya Kupavna.

Akrikhin has become one of the pioneers in the Russian pharma to launch a pilot drug labelling project. The project required procurement and on-site installation of machines for drug serialization and aggregation with a unique Data Matrix barcode. Furthermore, the company implemented the new SAP Advanced Track&Trace for Pharmaceuticals (ATTP) system, which integrates internal company services with those of other market players. It created a framework for designing a solution for generating all kinds of reports for the national drug track&trace system FGIS MDLP regarding serialization and further traffic of pharmaceuticals. As part of collaborative efforts between Akrikhin and foreign partners and local contract manufacturing customers, the integration of services was based on SAP Information & Collaboration Hub (ICH). The manufacturing facilities, in turn, utilize a system from one of the oldest players in the European market for drug serialization, Advanco.

Akrikhin was fully prepared for the official launch of the drug labelling system as early as at the end of 2019. In December, the first commercial batches of pharmaceuticals passed the required procedures, and January 2020 marked the first shipment of serialized products to a customer. Starting from 1 July 2020, all manufactured pharmaceuticals are subject to mandatory labelling requirements. Akrikhin set out on a journey towards a staged transition to mass serialization as far back as on 23 June.

Russia introduced mandatory drug labelling requirements to control the quality of pharmaceuticals and combat counterfeit products. According to the law, every drug package will have a unique Data Matrix barcode identifier which transmits drug data into an integrated drug track&trace system that monitors the whole supply chain, from the manufacturer to the pharmacy or healthcare provider which supplies a drug to a patient. It will help increase the transparency of the drug turnover in the Russian market. The introduction of the national track&trace system for pharmaceuticals, given further legal developments, will help improve many market processes. Manufacturers will be able to achieve better stock management, as well as monitor local shortages to redistribute pharmaceuticals to the regions where patients need them.