National Drug Code (NDC) is a universal product identifier for human drugs. Recently, the NDC Data are updated and this current edition is limited to the prescribed drugs and several selected counter products. This data directory usually updates 2 times in a month. NDC Data were formerly established as the compensation program of out of hospital drugs under health care. Thus, it found wider application. NDC Data is a HIPAA code standard directory that uses for reporting biologics and drugs in retail pharmaceutical transactions. HIPAA does not give a single standard code set for non retail pharmaceutical transactions.

In 1972, the Drug Listing Act demands to be registered drug establishment. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provides a current list for commercial distribution that includes all prepared, manufactured, compounded, propagated and processed drugs. All drug products are identified and described by a unique and three segment number that named the National Drug Code or NDC Data. It is the universal product identifier for human drugs. Food and Drug Administration keeps the full NDC Data by the information it holds. In the listing process, all information included as part by part into a database known as the Drug Registration Listing System or DRLS. On the 1st and 15th of each month, FDA educes some information from the DRLS data base. This includes currently and properly market listed prescription of Insulin and drug products. After checking all the information, FDA publishes that information in the NDC Data Directory.

All these data presented as the part of listing process. The NDC number, DRLS, and the NDC directory are used for the implementation and enforcement law of Act. DRLS Instruction describes the detail information of the registration and listing processes. It also holds valid provision of Code of Federal Regulation or CFR. In June and December of each year, these regulation demands a registered establishment to keep update the drug listing data. When a change occurs at the tact of the establishment, it also requires the update. Therefore, without updating the NDC directory, FDA might not have been notified of the recent changes of that product. FDA is accountable for every discrepancies and errors in the NDC Data directory. Users also can inform to the FDA, DRLS if they find any errors in these NDC Data directory.

The recent edition of NDC directory is limited for all pharmaceutical products. All products are not included in the NDC directory. There has some reason that causes exclusion in it; such like if the product may not be prescribed or an insulin product, a firm product without complete required information and a date expired product.

A firm or its product that included in the NDC directory does not mean that it gets approval by the FDA. Without getting the acceptance by the FDA, a firm or its product can not be eligible for reimbursement by Medicaid, Medicare or other payers.

The product trade number and catalog name is established by the NDC Data directory. The product manufacturer are usually supplied the product name that used in the NDC directory. It also called labelers or firms. Each product name is limited to maximum of hundred characters. But, a minor editorial change can occur. For example, if strength is customarily listed as the component of that product name, but also it appears in other data fields, then the strength might have been removed from the name of that product. Symbols that indicates trademark or registered products are also omitted because of input capability of computer. But, this deletion isn't intended to oppose trademark, patent, registration or regulation of copyright laws.

Every listed drug product is assigned a unique 3 segment, 10 digit NDC number. This number includes label name, product and the trade packet size. The first segment, label name is assigned by the FDA. The firm name that distributes the product is the label name. The second segment is the product code depicts specific strength, formulation and dosage form for a specific firm. Finally, the third segment is the package code which depicts packets type and size. The last two segments are assigned by the product's firm. The NDC number looks like 1-2-3, 5-6-4 or 8-6-4. It is said that, the new NDC Data directory will be released on June's first week of this year.