FDARegulatory IntelligenceStatuteHIGH INSPECTION RISK
DSCSA (FD&C Act §§581–585)

Drug Supply Chain Security Act

Title II of the Drug Quality and Security Act (Pub. L. 113-54, 2013), codified at FD&C Act §§581–585. It builds an interoperable, electronic, package-level system for tracing prescription drugs through the US supply chain, and defines who may be a trading partner at all.

LAST REVISED
November 2023
PRODUCT AREAS
DistributionSolid DoseSterileBiotech
SCOPE & APPLICABILITY

Manufacturers, repackagers, wholesale distributors, third-party logistics providers, and dispensers handling prescription drugs in the US supply chain.

KEY REQUIREMENTS
  • 01Exchange of transaction information and transaction statements in an interoperable electronic form
  • 02Trading only with authorised trading partners, verified and documented
  • 03Systems and processes to investigate suspect product and notify FDA and trading partners for illegitimate product
  • 04Product identifiers applied at package and homogeneous case level, and verifiable
IMPLEMENTATION TIPS
Treat the serialisation data as GxP data — it is subject to the same integrity expectations as any other regulated record
Test interoperability with actual trading partners rather than against the specification alone; the failures surface at the interface
Map your own trading-partner category to its applicable exemption date before scoping remediation work

DSCSA (FD&C Act §§581–585): frequently asked questions

Quick answers to common questions about DSCSA (FD&C Act §§581–585).

What is DSCSA (FD&C Act §§581–585)?

DSCSA (FD&C Act §§581–585) — Drug Supply Chain Security Act — is a statute issued by the Food and Drug Administration (United States). Title II of the Drug Quality and Security Act (Pub. L. 113-54, 2013), codified at FD&C Act §§581–585. It builds an interoperable, electronic, package-level system for tracing prescription drugs through the US supply chain, and defines who may be a trading partner at all.

Who does DSCSA (FD&C Act §§581–585) apply to?

Manufacturers, repackagers, wholesale distributors, third-party logistics providers, and dispensers handling prescription drugs in the US supply chain.

What are the key requirements of DSCSA (FD&C Act §§581–585)?

FDA DSCSA (FD&C Act §§581–585) requires, among other things: Exchange of transaction information and transaction statements in an interoperable electronic form; Trading only with authorised trading partners, verified and documented; Systems and processes to investigate suspect product and notify FDA and trading partners for illegitimate product; Product identifiers applied at package and homogeneous case level, and verifiable.

When was DSCSA (FD&C Act §§581–585) last updated?

The current version of DSCSA (FD&C Act §§581–585) dates from November 2023.

RELATED STANDARDS
RELATED FDA RECALLS
where Documentation & Change Control control fails
See all Documentation & Change Control recalls →

Live openFDA recalls SPEQ maps to this standard’s topics — a SPEQ interpretation, not an FDA classification.

THIS STANDARD IN PRACTICE

Recall domain is a SPEQ mapping of this standard’s topics, not an FDA classification.

Weekly Briefing

Track the standards that move

When DSCSA (FD&C Act §§581–585) — or any GxP requirement — is revised, recalled against, or clarified by new guidance, the Weekly GxP Briefing surfaces it. Free, one email a week.

Read a past issue →