RIYADH — Saudi Food and Drug Authority’s (SFDA) Drug Track and Trace System for pharmaceutical products (RSD) has monitored and recorded more than one billion supply chain operations including manufacturing, importing, selling or consuming.

RSD, which was launched by SFDA about two years ago, aims to achieve Saudi Vision 2030 by using a new technology for tracking all human registered drugs manufactured in Saudi Arabia or imported from abroad.

The system contributes to strengthening the authority’s role in protecting the society, enhancing control and ensuring the safety of medicines by identifying their sources and the stages they went through, starting from manufacturing, with the possibility of direct stopping of recalled medications or the ones with warnings.

It also works on preventing counterfeit drugs through monitoring full supply chain operations in order to guarantee that all sold or consumed drugs are registered and safe.

RSD provides many advantages for establishments registered in it. It contributes to improving their inventory management, reduces waste, in addition to providing periodic reports on the market situation, sales, supply and demand.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the first countries in the world to implement the electronic drug track and trace system; as a result, the SFDA had won Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Informatics Award 2019 for RSD. — SPA