Interpreting serialization alerts

When using PharmaliZr software, alerts may occur. Some are due to serialization errors, which have different origins, such as technical problems or anomalies in serial or batch numbers. It is important to know how to interpret them to better remedy them.

How does the alert system work? #

The serialization alert system works by querying the European database (EMVS). This database contains:

• data for each medicine batch;
• data related to each box;
• information concerning the countries for which these batches or boxes are intended.

Each country has its own national database (NMVS) that synchronizes with the European database. Thus, when you scan a box, the system first queries the national database (France MVS), then the European database if it does not find the box in the national directory.

Verifications are performed sequentially according to the following priority order [^1]:

1. the Product Code (PC) status;
2. the Batch status;
3. the Box status (SN).

If an alert is triggered during the first verification step, the other verifications are not performed.

Alerts can therefore be triggered by several actors in the information processing chain, such as:

• your connection or authentication;
• France MVS;
• other NMVS and EMVS.

What are the different types of serialization errors? #

When you scan a medicine box, the PharmaliZr application queries the national directory (NMVS or France MVS). Then, the software returns information or alerts indicating whether the transaction was successful or not.

Here are the different types of alerts the system can return:

• an information alert;
• a technical alert;
• a level 5 or L5 alert.

Knowing these different alerts allows you to quickly take the necessary measures to resolve the problem encountered.

1) Information alerts #

These alerts provide information about the transaction. They require no immediate action on your part.

2) Technical alerts #

If you encounter a technical alert when verifying a medicine box, the requested transaction could not take place. This is a malfunction, such as a connection failure, an identification error, a reading error or a system bug, etc.

In this case, you must follow the instructions provided by the alert analysis tool. However, if these instructions do not allow you to resolve the problem, you can contact:

• PharmaliZER, if the alert is related to a software feature;
• your IT service, if the error comes from a network or server problem;
• your Internet service provider, if the alert is related to your internet connection, such as a firewall or bandwidth problem.

3) L5 or level 5 alerts #

When the level 5 alert is returned, it is automatically reported to France MVO and the MA holder for investigation. In this case, please follow the instructions given by the alert analysis tool.

L5 alerts do not necessarily mean that the scanned medicine is falsified. Indeed, they can signal problems, such as an invalid unique identifier or a box that has already been registered in the system. However, they require a more thorough investigation in all cases.

If falsification is confirmed, it is reported to the competent health authorities.

Serialization errors: how to report an alert? #

If you wish to report an alert to France MVO for investigation, you must send the following elements to info@france-mvo.fr [^2]:

• a photo of the Datamatrix of good quality;
• a photo of the clear information on the box that triggered the alert;
• information related to your alert, such as the trigger context and the alert code sent by your system;
• your contact details.

With the PharmaliZr application, you have access to real-time interpretation of serialization alerts. You can thus identify the causes of errors and correct them quickly.

Do you have questions about interpreting serialization errors? Do not hesitate to contact our support for additional assistance.

Sources:
[^1] Technical Sheet “Alert and Anomaly Management No. 2”
[^2] Alert reporting