HEALTH CANADA'S GUI-0069 COMPLIANCE DEADLINE IS LOOMING.
IS YOUR CLINIC PREPARED?

As of April 28, 2011 Health Canada's GUI-0069, also referred to as "Guidelines for Temperature Control of Drug Products during Storage and Transportation" will be enforced nationally.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers meticulously ensure safety during the production process. However, until now, regulations regarding how drugs are delivered, handled and stored were not imposed. Health Canada has created stringent rules on the handling and delivery of pharmaceutical samples that are now being enforced. Pharmaceutical manufacturers are required to change their procedures so as to comply with the new regulation, yet this switch may take considerable time to fully come into effect.

For physicians, the new rules and uncertainty of compliance can put their practice at risk.

To protect your practice and patients, IDS Canada will manage the transitional period and your sample compliance moving forward. A dedicated team of analysts will review your current and future inventory and monitor pharmaceutical manufacturers' adherence to the regulation by contacting the pharmaceutical companies on your behalf to confirm that they're observing the rules. The team will inform you as to which samples are safe and which are questionable.

In addition to this, as part of the service, a knowledgeable service field rep will visit your clinic every six weeks and execute the following:

• Track lot numbers
• Rotate stock
• Dispose of expired samples
• Organize the sample cupboard

IDS Canada is the leader in health information programs and services in medical offices. In 2010, our services reached 14,000 healthcare locations and served over 30,000 healthcare professionals seeing more than 100 million patient visits. Your clinic currently receives the IDS information service.

A detailed version of Health Canada's GUI-0069 regulation can be found here:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/compli-conform/gmp-bpf/docs/gui-0069-eng.php