PZN Barcode
PZN (Pharmazentralnummer) barcodes are primarily used in the German pharmaceutical industry, similar to Pharmacode in other countries.
They serve as an identification system for medicines, medical devices, and other healthcare products.
Characteristics of PZNs
PZN barcodes use the same encoding algorithm as Code 39 but only carry numeric digits. The most recent variant, PZN8, can encode eight digits in total: seven for the main identification number and one for the check digit. PZN barcodes display “PZN” before the numbers in the human-readable text.
PZN codes are issued by the “Informationsstelle für Arzneispezialitäten GmbH” (IFA) in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
History
Introduced in Germany in 1968 for labeling and identification of pharmaceutical articles, PZNs underwent a significant change in 1988 when The Healthcare Reform Act (GRG) mandated that they become machine-readable. Code 39 served as a model for the new PZN barcode.
The original PZN7 barcode, named after its seven digits, was replaced by the more data capacity offering PZN8 in 2013. PZN7 barcodes were still used for several years but were indefinitely discontinued in 2020.
Applications of PZN barcodes in healthcare
PZN barcodes are primarily used in Germany and Austria for product identification, inventory management, and supply chain management in pharmacies and the healthcare industry. The Austrian variant is based on the EAN-13 barcode instead of Code 39.
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