Good Distribution Practice (GDP)

Where do you get the data from?

MediRegs uses data supplied by the relevant Licensing Authority.

MHRA: We download the monthly PDF (Human and veterinary medicines: register of licensed wholesale distribution sites) direct from the MHRA, and we use custom automated scripts to convert that information into a format suitable for a relationship database.

GPhC: We have a licensing agreement with the General Pharmaceutical Council to access their database and pull information directly from it. This information is updated daily.

PSNI: We have a licensing agreement with the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland to access their database and pull information directly from it. This information is updated daily.

Can the data be relied upon – is it accurate?

It is important to understand that we do not alter the information we receive in anyway. Therefore if there are any errors in the database then those errors will also exist in the official publications from the Licensing Authority.

For example: We know that due to the way it’s compiled, the MHRA data regularly contains a number of errors in the monthly report. If we were to start correcting their data it would set a precedent which might invalidate the secure chain of data custody, and could potentially expose your company to litigation in the event of a breach. By not amending the data in any way you have no exposure for mistakes which were initially made by the regulator itself.

If you notice any errors and would like to have those mistakes corrected, we strongly advise you to contact the relevant Licensing Authority and submit a claim directly to them. The MediRegs system will then show these updates once the Licensing Authority has corrected them.

Does MediRegs store cookies, and if so, for what purposes?

When you login to the MediRegs application your computer will be issued with a ‘cookie’. Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer by websites that you visit. They are widely used in order to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the owners of the site. Cookies in themselves do not identify individual users but identify only the computer used.

The MediRegs application uses cookies to measure the use of the website including number of visitors and how frequently pages are viewed. We use Google Analytics to measure and analyse usage of the website. This data cannot identify any user personally. We also use ‘session cookies’ that are removed from your computer when you end your browser session and leave the website. These cookies are necessary for the secure function of our online services. Users have the opportunity to set their computers to accept all cookies, to notify them when a cookie is issued, or not to receive cookies at any time. The last of these means that certain services cannot then be provided to that user.

Where is the data stored?

The site is hosted in the Equinix Datacentre in Slough. The data centre facilities are totally secure, fully air conditioned with redundant power supplies and are fully supported 24/7 by an on-site Network Operations Team. Full address for any GDPR enquiries is Equinix, 8 Buckingham Ave, Slough SL1 4AX UK

Is my data safe?

MediRegs is developed by South°. We are registered with the Information Commissioner. We have notified the ICO and our data protection number is Z2907170. All data connections are across SSL using a 256bit key from Comodo with an AES 256bit encryption algorithm. We backup to a secure offsite location using R1Soft, which offers continuous data protection only backing up what has changed – but results in full restore points at any one time. Backups are taken daily at 9AM and 10 of these are retained, with 8 weekly archives – so we have backups every day for 10 days ago and 8 weeks worth of backups available.