The New Digital System to be Used by Pharmacies in Alicante for Dispensing Medicines

Pharmacies in Alicante have now implemented a new digital system for dispensing and billing medicines, replacing the traditional coupon seal that needed to be cut from the medicine packaging.

With this new system, pharmacists can avoid using 54 million sheets of paper in the Valencian Community, saving the regional government 500,000 euros.

The digital code will also prevent the cutting of over 117.9 million coupon seals in pharmacies, saving costs of around 4.7 million euros annually and reducing time spent by the sector.

Additionally, the digital code will streamline pharmacists' work by eliminating the task of cutting coupon seals from each package, thus reducing administrative burdens.

The coupon seal was designed in the 1960s, and modernising it is necessary to advance to a more modern dispensing system with less error margin, according to Health Minister Marciano Gómez during the system's presentation in Benidorm.

This advancement ensures patient safety by providing precise information about a medicine's journey, allowing necessary measures to be taken swiftly in case of a pharmaceutical alert, as indicated by the Health Minister.

At the presentation event, the Health Minister was accompanied by the Mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, and the representative of the Official College of Pharmacists of Alicante, Andrés García.

The Health Minister noted that this is a pioneering method in Spain, first implemented in the Valencian Community. Over 1,100 pharmacies in the region, including 807 in Alicante and 301 in Castellón, are already using the digital code, with its implementation soon to be completed in Valencia's 1,240 pharmacies.