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What You Need to Know About GLNs

You're likely familiar with the term "GLN" if you've ever logged into your pharmacy account on PharmSaver. Over the past six months, we've been gathering these GLNs to aid in future regulatory compliance. But what exactly are they?

GLNs, or Global Location Numbers, are instrumental in identifying parties and physical locations involved in drug supply chain transactions. This 13-digit code, when paired with track and trace capabilities, enables proactive inventory management, identification of potential shipping delays, minimization of tainted drug incidents, simplified recalls, and ultimately, enhanced supply chain management.

Now, did you know that your pharmacy needs a GLN?

At PharmSaver, we collaborate with primary and secondary wholesalers to ensure all transactions comply with governmental regulations like the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA). Part of DSCSA involves product tracing at the package level, where GLNs come into play. This means every saleable package in your pharmacy will be assigned a unique serial number linked to all the GLNs (locations) it traverses within the drug supply chain.

While there's plenty of technical jargon associated with GLNs to facilitate track and trace, what matters most to you as a pharmacist, technician, or owner is how to obtain a GLN and be prepared. So, here's how:

For many of you, your Primary Wholesaler may have already obtained a GLN on your behalf. It's worth checking with them to confirm. If not, you can acquire a GLN at gs1us.org. As of March 2024, the specific page is https://my.gs1us.org/product/1366/single-gln. Remember, you'll need one GLN for each location.

Once you've obtained a GLN, simply enter it in PharmSaver after logging in. Navigate to My Account / Manage Account in the upper right corner and locate the address section, where you'll find a field for entering your GLN.

In summary, GLNs are crucial for the drug supply chain. Obtain yours as soon as possible to ensure readiness for the next phase of DSCSA compliance.

Tech Tips for Pharmacies

Top 3 Websites Pharmacies Should Know About

Drugs.com is a popular and reliable website where you can find a lot of information about medicines, health issues, and related stuff. It has a big collection of details about drugs, like how much to take, what side effects they might have, and how they might interact with other drugs. Drugs.com helps people understand their healthcare choices better. It also has handy tools like drug interaction checkers and pill identifiers that make it easier for both doctors and patients to use medicines safely.

DailyMed, which is run by the National Library of Medicine, is like a big library for medicine info. It helps doctors and patients make smart choices about medicines. DailyMed organizes info in a special way called the Structured Product Labeling (SPL) standard, so it's easy to use with different healthcare systems. It's user-friendly and has a lot of search options, so people can find detailed info about medicines, like what's in them, how to use them safely, and what the FDA approves. This helps keep medicine use safe and clear for everyone involved in healthcare.

This page serves as a hub for pharmacies seeking detailed information on drug-related matters from the FDA. Here are the four major areas of the website. FDA Drug Databases:The page provides access to various FDA databases related to drug approvals, safety, and regulations. Drug Approval Process: It includes information on the development and approval process for drugs. Resources and Guides: There are links to resources like the Orange Book, Purple Book, and medication guides. Reporting and Compliance: Details on drug shortages, postmarket requirements, and distributor reporting are available.

Did You Know?

Did you know the Easter Bunny's origins trace back to German folklore? It was initially depicted as a hare delivering colored eggs to children during Easter celebrations. And did you know one of the oldest Easter Bunny songs is "Little Bunny Foo Foo"? It's even older than "Here Comes Peter Cottontail"!

A less known fact: In Sweden, children dress and go door-to-door exchanging drawings and paintings for candy, similar to Halloween in some other countries.