Besides ensuring first-in, first-out, what other key compliance requirements apply to medicine inventory management?

Effective inventory management is central to ensuring medicine quality and safety. In addition to strictly applying the “first-expired-first-out” (FEFO) principle (that is, dispatching items with the earliest expiry date first, which is more accurate than FIFO), the following key compliance points apply: 1. Clear zoning: the warehouse must have clearly designated areas for quarantined goods pending examination, released goods, non-conforming goods, returned goods and recalled goods, with clear signs to distinguish them and prevent mix-ups and cross-contamination. 2. Environmental monitoring: medicines with specific temperature and humidity requirements must be monitored and recorded continuously, 24 hours a day, using calibrated equipment. There must be an emergency plan for environmental excursions, and actions taken must be documented. 3. Regular stocktakes: stock must be counted regularly, and physical inventory reconciled against stock records. Any discrepancies must be investigated and documented. 4. Expiry-date management: establish an expiry-date alert system and closely monitor medicines approaching their expiry date to prevent expired medicines from being dispatched accidentally. 5. Security: take appropriate security measures to prevent unauthorised access to storage areas and prevent medicines from being stolen or tampered with.