There are two big parts to this story. One is that India’s Health Ministry mandate — that barcodes using GS1 identification standards be used for all drugs, medical devices and other medical supplies purchased by the government — is intended to be effective as of April 1 of this year. The second big part of the story is that not surprisingly, some people are not ready.
Though the new system was mandated from April 1, the industry especially, the Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AIMED) has urged the ministry to implement the same in a phased manner for the period 2010-11 wherein initially only shelf boxes and shipping cartons may be considered. It has also asked the ministry to implement the same from only October this year.
Apparently at least some of the concern involves using up existing product already in the supply chain although it seems people would have seen this coming ahead of time. I think another factor is whether or not everyone is up to speed on GS1 labeling. There’s no excuse for that, either, is there? If you need to get compliant quick because you sell healthcare solutions in India or anywhere else, contact us. We have a world-class, enterprise-grade solution.
For more info on GS1 labeling, click here
GHS and Regulatory Labeling Challenges in the New Era 
