As the final DSCSA enforcement deadlines approach, trading partners across the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain face rising pressure to secure their systems, ensure interoperability and prove Authorized Trading Partner (ATP) status in real time. The recent Expert Talk: Your DSCSA Toolbox – VRS, Credentials & Interoperability brought together specialists from Movilitas.Cloud, Criterion Consulting and Spherity to deliver practical guidance on how to navigate the complexity.
DSCSA preparedness is no longer optional – it’s operationally critical. Errors, delays or incomplete systems can lead to shipment quarantines, rejected loads, financial penalties and even disruptions to patient access.
1. Exception Management is a High-Risk, High-Cost Challenge. The DSCSA requires tight synchronization between physical product and electronic data. When these don’t match, the cost is real.
If I, as a distributor, receive the product before the data, I technically and legally cannot take that product into inventory… I either must quarantine it or turn the truck around and send it back.
— Matt Campasano, Criterion Consulting
Matt further highlighted the urgency:
I get 90-minute warnings… I have 90 minutes to respond, or they’ll quarantine the shipment or return the whole truck.
2. From Complexity to Clarity: VRS vs. GLNs. The Verification Router Service (VRS) enables manufacturers, distributors and dispensers to request and respond to product verification in under one second. However, identity verification must be secure – and GLNs alone are not.
With GLNs, you can act like you’re someone else… GLNs are searchable, publicly accessible and easily made up. VRS has a solution – that’s called verifiable credentials.
— Marc Blekkink, Movilitas.Cloud
3. Credentials + VRS = Real-Time Trust. Spherity’s CARO ATP credentials integrate directly with VRS, enabling automated identity checks during verifications.
ATP credentials are fully integrated with the VRS systems… Both sides know the other party is who they claim to be right at the moment of interaction.
— Dr. Christiane Wirrig, Spherity
These digital credentials are:
Product–data mismatches (product with no data / data with no product) – a major cause of quarantines and returns.
Manual ATP checks – slow, error-prone and incompatible with VRS-level automation.
Using GLNs instead of secure digital credentials – GLNs identify, but do not verify authentication or authorization.
Lack of interoperability – different systems across partners cause failures in EPCIS exchange, VRS queries and data matching.
Time pressure and deadline uncertainty – larger dispensers, wholesalers and manufacturers cannot afford to wait; regulators expect readiness.
Marc Blekkink summarized it perfectly:
We provide requesters and responders a one-stop-shop solution to be compliant and ready for the upcoming verification requirements today.
DSCSA compliance depends on speed, accuracy and trust. Choosing the wrong vendor introduces risks such as:
This is why the partnership between Movilitas.Cloud (VRS + traceability platform) and Spherity (ATP credential provider) is so powerful.
For small and mid-sized dispensers, DSCSA can feel overwhelming. Movilitas.Cloud makes it accessible through its free DSCSA app, allowing dispensers to:
The Expert Talk made one thing clear: DSCSA compliance is not a technical upgrade – it’s a trust upgrade. Building your DSCSA toolbox with a fast, interoperable VRS, secure Spherity ATP credentials, strong data integrity and a trusted partner such as Movilitas.Cloud,
is the most effective way to stay compliant, connected and future-ready.
This article was originally published by Spherity: https://www.spherity.com/post/dscsa-expert-webinar-key-takeaways
