State Revenue Committee Launches Automated Information System Against Counterfeit and Low-Quality Drugs

The State Revenue Committee has launched the "Virtual Warehouse" system to prevent the circulation of counterfeit and low-quality drugs and drug substances imported into the Republic and not examined in the market. This was announced in a statement by the State Revenue Committee of Armenia.

"A series of information systems created for the stages of drug importation and sale are serviced by the State Revenue Committee itself, and the automated 'Virtual Warehouse' has also been jointly designed by experts from the State Revenue Committee and the Ministry of Health," the statement reads.

The new system has passed all test trials and is ready for implementation in a real environment. The 'Virtual Warehouse' was presented to operators engaged in the import and sale of drugs. The event was attended by Deputy Chairman of the State Revenue Committee Ashot Muradyan, representatives from the Security Council, the Ministry of Health, and industry specialists. The features of the system were discussed during the event.

The software solutions of the new system will ensure full control over the circulation of drugs throughout the entire chain, from importation to consumption. It establishes links between the systems used throughout the entire cycle of drug importation and sale, and by correlating the data from these systems, it allows or denies the sale of a drug in the internal market to the operator.

Before selling, at the labeling stage, the operator inputs the import certification obtained from the 'National One-Stop Shop,' confirming that the drug has undergone examination and meets safety standards. The information system also verifies the actual presence of drug inventories at the operators. Labeling is only permitted within the limits of quantities that have passed examination.

Meanwhile, consumers will be able to check the data collected during the examination process when purchasing drugs, including the registered name of the drugs, the country of manufacture, the batch number, and, most importantly, the expiration date, to determine if they match the information on the box.

As a result of the implementation of the new system, traceability of each box of imported and sold drugs is ensured," the statement concludes.