China’s drug regulator is tightening the rules on pharmaceutical traceability. The NMPA has ordered drug marketing authorization holders, local agents, manufacturers, distributors, and end users to fully implement traceability across the supply chain. Every eligible drug product must now carry a unique traceability code, and scanning that code will be mandatory at each step of the supply chain.
License holders and manufacturers must register their products on the National Drug Traceability Collaborative Service Platform and activate codes before products reach the market. They must also record warehousing and shipment information in the system. Distributors and retailers must scan and verify codes when products arrive. If the system flags something unusual, they must halt operations and investigate before resuming sales.
Enforcement will run through routine inspections. Provincial regulators are expected to incorporate traceability checks into their regular oversight and penalize violations under existing pharmaceutical laws.