Türkiye's medicine tracking system (İTS) in the warehouse
İTS is Türkiye's medicine tracking system, run by TİTCK. Each pack's DataMatrix code holds the product number, a serial number, the expiry date and the batch number. The warehouse scans every pack at receipt and dispatch, and never ships a code the system does not know.
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This content is for information only. It is not a regulatory interpretation, an audit opinion or a storage instruction for your product. The approved label and the current guidance of the competent authority take precedence.
Every medicine pack within the scope of İTS carries a small square code. That code links the pack to İTS (İlaç Takip Sistemi), Türkiye’s medicine tracking system. The system, run by the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency (TİTCK), knows which steps a pack has passed through in the supply chain and who holds it now. For a warehouse the consequence is plain: every pack is scanned, and the stock on the shelf has to match the record in the system exactly.
What is in the code?
The two-dimensional DataMatrix code on each pack holds four pieces of information:
| Data | What it does |
|---|---|
| Product number (GTIN) | Identifies the product |
| Serial number | Identifies this one pack |
| Expiry date | Used for stock rotation |
| Batch number | Links the pack to its production batch |
Thanks to the serial number, even two packs from the same batch can be told apart. Batch traceability reaches all the way down to the single pack.
How does the system know where a pack is?
Each link in the supply chain reports the pack’s movements to İTS. As the pack moves from manufacturer to warehouse and from warehouse to pharmacy, its record moves with it. The system therefore knows who last held each pack.
At the end of the chain, a pharmacist can scan the pack before handing it to a patient and check that it is genuine. A code with no match in the system, or one that shows an unexpected status, stands out.
What changes in the warehouse?
İTS adds a few fixed steps to warehouse work.
- Packs are scanned at receipt and the receipt is reported to the system.
- At dispatch every pack is scanned again, and the report includes who it went to.
- A code the system does not know, or one with an unexpected status, is not shipped. The pack is set aside, quarantined and investigated.
- Counts and returns follow the same rule: the physical stock in the warehouse has to match the stock the system shows for that site.
A count that does not match is a warning. The gap may come from a scanning error or from a missing report. Until the cause is found, the difference stays open.
Why it matters to a warehouse
For a warehouse, İTS has two important effects. First, it makes it harder for falsified medicines to enter the chain: a pack whose code is not in the system is spotted the moment it is scanned. Second, it speeds up recalls. When a batch is recalled, the records show which packs from that batch went where. We describe how those records are used in Recall readiness.
The approach in the European Union
In the EU the same aim is served by the safety features set out in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/161. Each pack carries two: a unique identifier and an anti-tampering device that shows whether the pack has been opened. The method differs, but the idea is the same. The pack carries its identity on it, and that identity can be verified.
References
- TİTCK, İlaç Takip Sistemi (İTS)
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/161 on safety features for medicinal products for human use
Information only; not a regulatory interpretation or a storage instruction.