Key Takeaways on the 12-Digit NDC Transition from the September 2026 Quarterly Forum
The NDC Coordination and Implementation Forum is organized by the Leavitt Center for Alliances, an initiative of Leavitt Partners, an HMA Company, that develops and supports consensus-based alliances to address complex, cross-sector healthcare challenges.
On September 26, more than 350 industry leaders representing government, life sciences, health plans, providers, standards organizations, and technology partners came together at the first quarterly meeting to discuss how the healthcare ecosystem can prepare for the transition by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to a uniform 12-digit National Drug Code, or NDC-12. The change will affect manufacturers, distributors, pharmacies, providers, payers, technology companies, regulators, and other healthcare stakeholders.
Key takeaways from the Forum:
1. The transition will affect the entire healthcare ecosystem
The new NDC format will require updates across drug data, business systems, shared infrastructure, standards, barcodes, billing, reimbursement, surveillance, and supply chain processes. Organizations will need to understand how their work aligns with the timelines and dependencies of other stakeholders.
2. Dual operability will be a central implementation challenge
Organizations will need to simultaneously manage 10-digit, 11-digit, and 12-digit NDCs during the transition. This period of dual operability makes data mapping, system testing, historical-data management, and cross-sector coordination especially important.
3. The shared roadmap provides a common view of readiness
The NDC Forum’s ecosystem-wide roadmap tracks major milestones, dependencies, decision points, and readiness risks. It identifies foundational work beginning in 2026, with important milestones for standards, NDC conversion, FDA data systems, pharmacy and provider readiness, testing, and the planned go-live date of March 7, 2033.
4. Early action is essential
The forum emphasized that the implementation timeline is front-loaded. Impact assessments, ownership decisions, standards updates, data foundations, and system planning need to begin well before NDC-12 enters production.
5. Collaboration will drive successful implementation
The NDC Forum brings together stakeholders to share information, identify cross-sector risks, and coordinate execution. Short-duration “Strike Forces” will focus on issues such as roadmap validation, regulatory clarity, label-data alignment, post-2036 NDC-10 management, and UPC-A barcode replacement.
The NDC-12 transition is a multi-year effort that requires shared visibility, coordinated planning, and sustained participation across healthcare. Organizations can help shape the implementation by joining the NDC Forum and contributing their perspective.
Strike Force participation is available to NDC Forum members. By joining now, your organization can bring its perspective directly into these discussions, learn how other stakeholders are approaching the same challenges, and help shape solutions before implementation decisions become difficult or costly to change.
Become a member and get involved: https://ndcforum.org/get-involved