GS1 Healthcare US's Secure Supply Chain Task Force has developed a pharmaceutical supply chain model as part of a program known as 2015 Readiness. The model is intended to prepare members of the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain to use a standard serialized track-and-trace system (known as an electronic pedigree, or e-pedigree) related to the movements of pharmaceutical items. Since January 2010, a group of 65 individuals representing 50 companies have been helping to craft a simulated supply chain that runs on software commonly used by businesses for Six Sigma processes, to improve efficiency. With the software, a user can map out a supply chain and send items with unique ID numbers, either on RFID tags or on 2-D bar codes. The program aims to develop a model for anyone in the pharmaceutical industry who is responsible for IT, logistics or packaging, as well as manufacturers, retail pharmacies and wholesalers. The model has been developed to simulate a typical forward-moving supply chain, and the group will now further refine it to allow for exceptions and scenarios involving product recalls and returns.
