Pharmaceutical supply chain experts discuss the transition to the FDA’s new 12-digit NDC format with Drug Topics and Pharmaceutical Commerce

Matt Sample, SVP, manufacturer and replenishment operations at Cencora, and Neal Cooper, VP, regulatory affairs and quality systems at American Health Packaging, recently joined Drug Topics’ Over the Counter Podcast and Pharmaceutical Commerce, where they explored one of the most significant regulatory shifts the pharmaceutical supply chain has seen in years: the FDA's transition to a standardized 12-digit National Drug Code (NDC) format.

Matt and Neal are at the forefront of this conversation, calling the transition a "Y2K-level" event that will require unprecedented coordination across manufacturers, distributors, pharmacies, payers, PBMs, and countless other entities. Their message is consistent and urgent: seven years may sound like plenty of time, but the industry cannot afford to wait.

• Learn more about the beginning stages of the FDA’s 7-year rollout of new NDCs for prescription drugs: Pharmacists Must Prepare for FDA’s 12-Digit NDC Update
• Read about the nuanced challenges that different supply chain entities will face over the next seven years: Q&A: 12-Digit NDC Transition Poses Industry-Wide Compliance Challenges
• Listen to the full podcast to hear the key actions pharmacy leaders should take right now: What Pharmacies Need to Know About FDA Shift to 12-Digit NDCs

• Learn more about the operational hurdles and strategies for transitioning to the FDA’s new 12-digit NDC format: How Pharma Supply Chains Can Brace for FDA’s 12-Digit NDC Standard
• Listen to this short video to learn how pharma companies should start preparing for the 2033 NDC-12 shift: How Can Pharma Prepare for the NDC-12 Shift?