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In an effort to make the purchase and tracking of
controlled substances more secure, Connecticut-based Purdue Pharma L.P.
unveiled new technology that electronically tracks the purchase of controlled
substances, satisfying the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) mandate of
strict security requirements.
The DEA's controlled substance ordering system
(CSOS) requires that the chain of custody be verified and documented at every
step in the transaction process. To accomplish this, Purdue chose nuBridges
e222 CSOS to manage the order and customer verification steps necessary in the
electronic workflow. It transmitted its first CSOS orders to two of its
wholesale business partners, HD Smith and Value Drug.
"This is a pivotal moment for Purdue and for
controlled substance pharmaceutical manufacturing as a whole," said Michael
Celentano, Associate Director, Supply Chain Systems for Purdue. "With
nuBridges e222 solution, we can reap the benefits of electronic CSOS
compliance, knowing that our processes are secure, scalable, and extremely
efficient."
The new system not only provides secure data
transmissions, but also cuts down considerably on paper-based ordering. A
study by the DEA found that pharmaceutical companies and distributors can
reduce costs with electronic processing, compared to the use of traditional
paper models. According to the report, processing a single order via paper can
cost up to $60, while electronic processing averages $6 and can be completed
in real time. Prior to the development of electronic ordering, buyers were
limited to using a 10 line-item paper form (DEA Form 222) when ordering
controlled substances. Orders that exceeded 10 lines required processing
multiple forms.
The nuBridges e222 CSOS application is one of the
industry's first systems to be certified according to DEA's strict
requirements. Messages are encrypted to ensure that only authorized recipients
can access their content. Digital signatures assure identity, including return
receipts, and audit trails account for all stock received, distributed, or
disposed of.
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