With a firm focus on sustainability, Cipla South Africa is implementing innovative measures – such as digitising package inserts (PI) – to reduce its carbon footprint. The PI will be accessible on a number of newly launched products initially, simply by scanning the QR code on the medicine packaging.
The package insert contains details pertaining to the drug, such as approved uses for the drug, prescribing information, and risks or common side-effects of the medicine[1], and needs to accompany every single medicine. It is found in the medicine’s box, and also on the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority website in PDF format[2].
Electronic product information (also referred to as ePI) was recently adopted on medicines in the European Union[3], but this approach is still very novel in South Africa. The digitised PI ensures convenient access to up-to-date information as it can be easily updated and also helps improve legibility as the font on the printed versions is generally very small. It also helps to significantly reduce the number of printed inserts required, thereby preserving natural resources.
CEO of Cipla South Africa, Paul Miller, said: “This innovation is an important milestone for the business in terms of being future-focused and our aggressive drive towards sustainable business practices. This QR code project is the result of an effective partnership and collaboration with the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), who was willing to adopt this new technology.
“We are focused on fast-tracking digital transformation as we know that it will reshape the pharmaceutical industry. Technology can help to speed up processes, ensure better patient outcomes in line with our ethos of “caring for life” and can also help to preserve natural resources.
“The valuable learnings acquired during this revolutionary project will be used to streamline the process going forward, as the intention is to implement QR codes on other medicines in due course,” said Miller.
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