Tatmeen: What Do We Know About Pharmaceutical Traceability in the UAE?

Drug traceability is developing very quickly. Tatmeen is another advancement being made by the United Arab Emirates. To track items in the pharmaceutical supply chain, the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) launched the innovative digital traceability platform Tatmeen.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention as well as other UAE-based organizations are a part of the Tatmeen system, which was launched in September 2020. Other institutions in the Tatmeen system include the Dubai Health Authority, the Abu Dhabi Ministry of Health.

Tatmeen seeks to provide drug traceability to the final consumer, simplify product recalls, and prevent the distribution of counterfeit goods. Tatmeen states that serialization should occur in GS1 standards. According to Tatmeen maintaining patient safety and assuring the reliability of pharmaceutical manufacturers are the fundamental goal of the process.

What Is Tatmeen’s Goals?

Tatmeen was established on some fundamental goals and is dedicated to fulfilling these goals. According to the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, these objectives are described as follows:

Product Safety:

• Detect counterfeits and falsified medicines
• Avoid reimbursement fraud
• Ensure traceability and quick product recalls and withdrawals

Patient Safety:

• Avoid medication errors

Supply Chain Visibility:

• Forecasting shortages
• Recall effectiveness
• Ensure accurate, real-time information flow among stakeholders

Improvements

According to the established legislative requirements, the UAE has completed its study on pharmaceutical traceability. In light of this, starting on December 13, 2022, all parties involved in the pharmaceutical supply chain must comply with the traceability requirements and inform Tatmeen.

Serialization and Aggregation of Pharmaceutical Products According to Tatmeen

All secondary packaging in the UAE pharmaceutical supply chain, including imported and domestically made, must be coded with a GS1-compliant data matrix. The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention’s (MOHAP) serialization guide states that the following information is contained in the code:

• GTIN
• Batch Number
• EXP
• Serial Number (Random) must be included.

Aggregation is crucial for proper pharmaceutical traceability as of December 13, 2022. The SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code) barcode must be used, and all transport units, including bundles, packages, and pallets, must be defined.

Distributors, wholesalers, warehouses, and healthcare centers that open transport units and repack products for distribution also should perform aggregation by putting their own SSCC codes in place. If the brand owner accepts the product as a Commercial Product, then it can also be identified with a GTIN in addition to being a logistical unit.

Establishing hierarchies of products is required to apply GS1 data matrix application, readable information, and SSCC labels (aggregation). Additionally, Tatmeen should be notified of any traceability information, including serial numbers. All participants in the pharmaceutical supply chain in the UAE must get a GLN from GS1 UAE by December 13th, 2022. Tatmeen uses digital traceability to accomplish drug traceability while enabling end users to verify pharmaceuticals.