Archive · 16 Aug 2026
GS1 CEO urges next leap in QR code standardisation for medicines
Medicines in India are getting special codes called QR codes.
These codes are like tiny barcodes that you can scan with a phone.
They tell you important things about the medicine, like its name, who made it, and when it expires.
The government said many medicines must have these codes by certain dates.
Some medicines, like cancer drugs and vaccines, need them by 2027.
Other medicines, like antibiotics, need them by 2028.
A man named S Swaminathan works for a group called GS1 India that helps set standards for these codes.
He says the codes are good, but they need to be the same everywhere.
That way, everyone from the factory to the pharmacy can read them the same way.
This helps make sure medicines are real and safe.
He thinks there is still a long way to go to make this work perfectly.
India's government expanded its QR code mandate to cover cancer drugs, narcotics, psychotropic drugs, vaccines, and antimicrobials, with deadlines of July 1, 2027 and July 1, 2028.
The earlier 2022 initiative required the top 300 drug brand products to carry QR or bar codes starting August 2023.
QR codes provide nine data elements per drug, including product identification, drug names, manufacturer details, batch number, and manufacturing and expiry dates.
GS1 India CEO S Swaminathan says the initiative needs to advance to standardise the format of QR code data so it can be uniformly read across the supply chain.
Swaminathan rates the track-and-trace journey at 2 out of 10, calling for alignment with international standards to improve traceability and patient safety.
GS1 was set up by the Commerce Ministry and industry bodies as an affiliate of GS1 Global.
- Who
- S Swaminathan, Chief Executive Officer of GS1 India, and the Indian Health Ministry
- What
- Expansion of the QR code mandate for medicines and a call for standardisation of QR code data formats
- When
- Announced and discussed as of August 16, 2026, with deadlines of July 1, 2027 and July 1, 2028
- Where
- India
- Why
- To enable seamless verification, tracking, and traceability of medicines across the supply chain and to weed out counterfeits
Proponents of standardisation
Current implementation approach
Standardisation of QR code data format
Proponents of standardisation
GS1 India CEO argues for a leap to standardised, uniform data presentation readable across the entire supply chain and aligned with international standards.
Current implementation approach
The current initiative mandates QR codes with nine data elements but does not yet ensure uniform format across warehouse, distributor, stockist, and chemist.
- QR code mandate expansion
- Covers cancer drugs, narcotics, psychotropic drugs, vaccines, and antimicrobials
- Deadline for most drugs
- July 1, 2027
- Deadline for antimicrobials
- July 1, 2028
- Earlier initiative
- Top 300 drug brands required QR/bar codes starting August 2023
- Data elements per drug
- Nine, including product ID, drug names, manufacturer details, batch number, and dates
- Track-and-trace progress rating
- 2 out of 10, per GS1 India CEO
- GS1 India origin
- Set up by the Commerce Ministry and industry bodies; affiliate of GS1 Global