DSCSA Compliance Updates for Independent Pharmacies in 2026

With the Drug Supply Chain Security Act’s (DSCSA) major milestones largely behind the industry, the focus now shifts to smaller dispensers, data stabilization, and emerging complexities that could catch unprepared pharmacies off guard.

The pharmaceutical supply chain has entered a new phase and finds itself in a period of stabilization—but that doesn’t mean the work is done. For small and independent pharmacies, a critical deadline is approaching, and the operational and regulatory stakes couldn’t be higher.

“These people are pharmacists first, businessmen second, and then regulatory folks 18th,” Matt Sample, senior vice president of manufacturer, quality, and replenishment operations at Cencora, told Drug Topics. “The biggest thing for them to be ready is having an SOP—a document that says I only buy from authorized trading partners.”

In the latest episode of the Over the Counter podcast, Sample breaks down what independent pharmacies need to understand before the November 27, 2026, exemption deadline expires for dispensers with 25 or fewer employees. From finalizing global location numbers and system integrations to navigating verification tools like the verification router service (VRS), the window for proactive preparation is narrowing.

Beyond the immediate deadline, Sample also flags 2 persistent pain points rattling the dispensing community—waivers and dropship products—and offers a preview of what may be the industry’s next major undertaking: the transition to 12-digit National Drug Codes (NDCs), a shift he compares with Y2K in both scale and urgency.

Stay tuned for weekly podcast episodes of Over the Counter powered by Drug Topics. Check out our most recent episode with Tim Drapeau, who discussed his organization’s newest diagnostic testing product and the gaps it’s filling between patients and pharmacists.

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