Technology selection identified as biggest hurdle in serialization race for compliance

The research, conducted by serialization system provider SEA Vision and life science technology specialist Zenith Technologies, highlights technology selection as the biggest challenge currently faced by the industry, cited by 28 per cent of respondents.

As the industry considers the implications of the European Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD), one quarter of respondents rated understanding global serialization requirements as the biggest challenge they face. Fourteen per cent are most concerned by the tight deployment timescales, while 12 per cent believe that resourcing the deployment of serialization systems and processes is the biggest barrier to compliance.

Other cited challenges include establishing lifecycle support for their systems (seven per cent) and selecting an implementation partner (seven per cent).

Commenting on the research, Carlos Machado, serialization director at SEA Vision US, said: "Preparing for serialization is a complex task and it is clear that the challenges that companies must overcome are wide ranging.

"Technology selection and implementation is key to project success, and flexibility and scalability are important factors to consider when selecting a serialization solution that is built for the future. Given the multiple technical and logistical challenges associated with implementing a solution, reputable providers should be able to demonstrate a concrete track record of working across varying global serialization architectures. We expect to see a growing reliance on third party support providers over the coming months as many pharmaceutical manufacturers lack the internal resource and expertise to face the challenge of serialization head on."

In 2016, SEA Vision and Zenith Technologies formed a global partnership to support pharmaceutical companies with the impending challenge of installing and integrating serialization across drug manufacturing sites.

The collaboration brings together Italian-based SEA Vision’s serialization system along with global Zenith Technologies’ ability to integrate systems and deliver ongoing technical support at a local level.