For Immediate Release

The benefits of an effective medical bar code program are legendary. A Department of Veterans Affairs hospital has estimated the prevention of 378,000 medication errors in a 5-year period when the computerized bar coding system was used properly. After adopting a bar code program one New Hampshire hospital reduced its medication error rate by 80 percent. In 1999 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) issued a report that attributed over 7,000 deaths a year to medication errors. The IOM noted that deaths due to such errors are often preventable and cited bar codes as one way to prevent them. There are numerous articles referenced by the FDA that noted how bar coding has reduced medication errors such as missed dosage, wrong patient errors, and scheduling errors. Now the effectiveness of such programs has been greatly enhanced.

Right patient, right drug, right dose, right time. In March of this year the FDA issued a proposed regulation that would require coding drugs with a machine-readable NDC (National Drug Code) drug-specific identifier. A hospital has a database for patient data and necessary drug regimen information. Medication is bar coded by the manufacturer to show specific information about the actual dose to be dispensed. This bar code is scanned at the patient delivery point. The system verifies it is the correct drug and matches the patient’s prescription. The system can note the time and name of the health care professional that administered the drug. This system, the FDA believes, will contribute significantly to saving lives.

The FDA proposal, Bar code Label for Human Drug Products and Blood, recommends adoption of UCC/EAN bar codes. The UCC/EAN Reduced Space Symbology (RSS) bar code is one of the densest bar codes allowing data to be recorded in a much smaller space than conventional linear technologies like UPC, EAN or Code 128. The use of RSS permits drug manufacturers to encode much more information about the product than previous methods and to do it on small unit-dose vials and other miniature-sized packages.

Responding to industry demand and the proposed ruling, Domino Amjet, Inc (Domino) and Barcode Technology, Inc (BTI) have formed a strategic alliance to provide RSS coding solutions to drug manufacturers. An open house held from June 9-13, 2003, at Domino’s premises in Gurnee, IL was attended by leading pharmaceutical companies. They were shown the world’s first demonstration of an in-line laser system that can print and verify RSS composites, with human readables, at production line speeds. The solution combines the Domino DSL1 laser and BTI RSS bar code software. The Domino-BTI system provides a production-ready solution to help drug companies code their products with variable information ensuring that hospitals have the machine-readable labeling information they require to reduce medication errors.

The Domino-BTI alliance creates a unique solution for implementing the value of RSS combined with CFR Part 11 compliance in point of production coding equipment. The system encompasses state of the art laser technology utilizing the fastest code generating equipment in the world. This alliance is positioned to provide the standard solution for this new industry requirement.

If you work in a FDA-regulated industry such as bio-pharmaceutical, personal care products, medical devices or food and beverage, the compliance with FDA regulations is an important initiative for your company. The Domino-BTI alliance produces the standard system for RSS Bar Codes and FDA compliancy including 21 CFR Part 11 and the proposed changes to 21 CFR part 606.

Company Backgrounds

BTI is a leading information management solutions and bar coding technology company. Using patented and patent pending software technology BTI provides consulting to a wide spectrum of industries. BTI’s wholly owned subsidiary, SNX Software, Inc. is the premier bar code graphic software provider, delivering innovative and proprietary bar code technology to over 150,000 users throughout the world since 1978.

Founded in the UK 25 years ago, Domino Printing Sciences is a world leader in industrial coding and marking solutions. The company has a network of subsidiary offices and distributors worldwide. Its USA subsidiary, Domino Amjet, Inc., supplies industrial inkjet and laser printers for use extensively in manufacturing, printing, and postal sectors for direct making of products. Domino Amjet’s product range includes continuous and binary inkjet printers, drop on demand printers as well as laser technology (both dot matrix and steered beam).

For further product information, please contact:

Kenneth W Stephenson, Press Agent for Domino-BTI Alliance, Tel 847 249 2549, email kss37215@juno.com.

Daisy Londo, Marketing Communications for Domino Amjet, Inc., Tel 847 244 2501, email dlondo@dominoamjet.com, www.domino-printing.com.

Katherine McGuire, Executive Assistant for Barcode Technologies Inc., Tel 212 286 7000, email execassist@rssbarcode.com, www.rssbarcode.com.