Pharmaceutical supply chain experts discuss the transition to the FDA’s new 12-digit NDC format with Drug Topics and Pharmaceutical Commerce

Matt Sample, SVP, manufacturer and replenishment operations at Cencora, and Neal Cooper, VP, regulatory affairs and quality systems at American Health Packaging, recently joined Drug Topics' Over the Counter Podcast and Pharmaceutical Commerce, where they explored one of the most significant regulatory shifts the pharmaceutical supply chain has seen in years: the FDA's transition to a standardized 12-digit National Drug Code (NDC) format.

Matt and Neal are at the forefront of this conversation, calling the transition a "Y2K-level" event that will require unprecedented coordination across manufacturers, distributors, pharmacies, payers, PBMs, and countless other entities. Their message is consistent and urgent: seven years may sound like plenty of time, but the industry cannot afford to wait.