From the factory to the pharmacy shelf. What happens to a medicine on its way to the patient

From the factory to the pharmacy shelf. What happens to a medicine on its way to the patient

Today, September 25, marks World Pharmacists Day. This date serves as an occasion to talk about the work of specialists, which begins long before a medicine reaches the patient's hands.

The buyer only sees the final stage: the pharmacist finds the right drug, checks it, and hands over the package. Before that, the medicine goes through production, supply, transportation, and storage. At each of these stages, it is important to control quality, storage conditions, and the accuracy of the data on the packaging.

We look into how a medicine travels this path, what is checked in the pharmacy before sale, and how digital marking helps track the movement of each package.

The first point

The journey of a package begins at the enterprise. The quality of raw materials, compliance with technology, and control of the finished product determine what the drug will be like when it leaves production. Information necessary for identification and correct use, including the batch number and expiration date, is placed on the packaging.

Digital marking, in turn, makes it possible to distinguish individual packages from one another. Two boxes of the same drug may look identical, have the same dosage, and belong to the same batch, but each marked package has its own digital code.

Data about the package in the National Information System for Digital Marking Asl Belgisi is linked to this code. As information about operations is received, the history of its movement is formed. How complete this history will be depends on how correctly and timely the participants transmit information to the system.

The road to the pharmacy

Suppliers and logistics services are obliged to comply with transportation and storage conditions so that the medicine retains its properties. This is especially important for temperature-sensitive drugs.

The temperature regime is ensured by equipment and employees, while the digital system records information on the circulation of goods. At the same time, accompanying documents make it possible to determine from whom the products were received and to whom they were passed on. Marking links circulation data to specific packages. This makes it possible to compare supply information and resolve discrepancies.

The pharmacist's work begins before meeting the buyer

The pharmacy's work begins long before meeting the buyer: incoming medicines must be checked before they end up on the shelves.

"Upon receipt, we check the compliance of the goods with the accompanying documents, the integrity of the packaging, expiration dates, and marking. The marking code is verified through the Asl Belgisi system, which allows us to ensure the correctness of the data about the drug before its sale,"

says Gulkhumor Karabaeva, Commercial Director of the Navbahor pharmacy chain.

According to her, checking the marking is part of the standard process of receiving and dispensing medicines. If the data does not match, the drug does not go on sale until the cause is clarified and the information is verified with the supplier. It is important for pharmacy employees not only to notice a discrepancy but also to resolve it before handing the medicine over to the buyer.

After acceptance, proper storage must be ensured. When dispensing, the pharmacist checks the release form and dosage, takes into account the prescription, and answers questions within their competence. Scanning the code when processing a sale allows reflecting the withdrawal of the package from circulation.

According to CRPT TURON, in 2025, the number of pharmacy organizations connected to the system was 7,652 — 16.7% more than in 2024.

The buyer may not see these checks, but it is from the daily professionalism and attentiveness of employees that trust in the pharmacy is built. Digital tools help identify discrepancies, while further actions require the participation of a specialist.

How data helps during pre-sale verification

As noted in the National Information System (NIS) Asl Belgisi, in 2025, more than 251 million marked packages of medicines were sold via receipts. At the same time, checking the code allows verifying information about the package and its movement, but does not replace quality control of the drug itself.

Within the framework of the permissive regime, when scanning a code at the checkout, a check is provided for its registration, the expiration date of the goods, information about a possible previous withdrawal from circulation (if any), and a possible suspension of circulation — for example, in the event of a drug batch recall. A negative check result serves as a basis for restricting the sale.

The manufacturer transmits information about the expiration date to the system, linking it to the code of a specific package. This data can be used before sale, complementing the pharmacist's work in monitoring expiration dates.

What the buyer can check

The buyer can also check the packaging — to do this, they need to use the Asl Belgisi mobile application and scan the marking code. In the medicine card, one can find the name, information about the manufacturer, permissive and accompanying information, and the expiration date, as well as the result of the marking check.

When buying a medicine, it is important to pay attention not only to the match between the data in the application and on the packaging, but also to the status of the marking code. The code must not be written off or withdrawn from circulation. If the application shows such a status, the information differs, or the scanning result raises questions, it is better to clarify the information with the pharmacist and, if necessary, contact the Asl Belgisi support service.

According to Gulkhumor Karabaeva, buyers' interest in marking is gradually growing.

"If a buyer has questions, pharmacy employees explain how the Asl Belgisi system works and, if necessary, help check the marking of the drug,"

she noted.

According to the NIS Asl Belgisi, in 2025, more than 7.3 million scans of medicine codes were performed through the application, compared to approximately 1.1 million in 2024.

Responsibility at every stage

Several participants are responsible for the medicine's journey to the consumer. The manufacturer ensures the quality of the produced drug, suppliers ensure compliance with transportation and storage conditions, the pharmacy ensures the verification of the received goods, their storage, and correct dispensing. Government bodies exercise supervision. Asl Belgisi ensures full traceability of the drug and helps participants work with package information and verify its movement.

For the consumer, this work becomes noticeable when meeting the pharmacist. Behind the handed-over package lie document verification, expiration date control, and, if a discrepancy is found, clarifying its causes with the supplier. World Pharmacists Day is an occasion to recognize this daily responsibility of the specialists we turn to with questions about medicines.