Pick up any strip or carton in your shop and look closely: the pack itself answers most of the questions a pharmacy owner ever needs to ask about it. Who made it, when, in which production run, how long it stays good, what it can legally sell for, whether it needs a prescription and how it should be stored — all of it is printed right there. This guide walks through each marking in plain language, because a shop that reads its packs well makes fewer billing mistakes, handles returns faster and spots problem stock early.
The batch number: one code that ties a strip to its production run
A batch number — printed as B.No., Batch No. or Lot No. — identifies the specific manufacturing run a medicine came from. Every strip and bottle from that run carries the same code: made on the same lines, in the same period, usually from the same lots of raw material. Two packs of the same medicine with different batch numbers may look identical, but they were made at different times and can even carry different expiry dates and MRPs.
Almost everything that can go wrong, or need reversing, in this trade works on batch. If a quality problem surfaces, the recall notice names specific batch numbers, not just the medicine — and a shop that can search its purchases by batch isolates the affected stock in minutes instead of checking every shelf. Quality complaints to the company, expiry returns to your distributor and damage claims are all settled batch-wise too. That is why the batch number deserves a place in your records, not just on the pack.
Manufacturing date and expiry date: two dates, two different jobs
The manufacturing date (Mfg.) tells you when the batch was made. The expiry date (Exp.) tells you the month after which the manufacturer no longer guarantees the medicine's quality and potency. The gap between the two is the shelf life, and it varies from product to product — which is why checking the expiry at the time of receiving stock matters more than checking the manufacturing date. A recently made batch is not automatically long-dated.
Here is the part every counter person should know cold: when an expiry is printed as a month and year, the medicine is usable up to the last day of that month. A strip marked EXP JUL 2027 is good through 31 July 2027 and should not be sold or dispensed from 1 August 2027. Reading it the strict way — treating July itself as already expired — throws away usable stock; reading it loosely invites a compliance problem. The last day of the printed month is the line.
MRP: a legal ceiling that already includes every tax
The maximum retail price printed on a medicine pack is inclusive of all taxes. Nothing is to be added on top at the counter — not GST, not handling charges, nothing — and selling above MRP is an offence, not merely poor form. One more layer sits over essential medicines: under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority fixes ceiling prices that manufacturers of listed medicines must respect. For you as a buyer and seller, the practical rule stays simple: bill from the MRP printed on the pack actually in your hand, because different batches of the same medicine can carry different MRPs.
Rx and the schedule warnings: what the red text means
Most prescription medicines carry the Rx symbol and a Schedule H warning stating that the medicine is to be sold by retail only on the prescription of a registered medical practitioner. Schedule H1 packs go further: the warning sits inside a box with a red border, the Rx appears in red, and retail sale requires entries in a separate register with the patient's and prescriber's details. A small Schedule X category is stricter again. In short, the pack tells you at a glance how the medicine may be sold and what paperwork the sale creates — our guide on drug schedules covers this in detail.
The storage line: small print that protects your stock
Somewhere on the label you will find a storage instruction — store in a cool, dry place; protect from light; store below 30 degrees Celsius; or store between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius. That last one means the product lives in the refrigerator from factory to counter, never on an open shelf. Following the printed condition protects potency, and it also protects your money: suppliers and companies can rightly refuse expiry returns on stock that has visibly been stored badly. Sun-faded cartons and heat-swollen strips tell their own story.
Why batch and expiry belong on your invoices, not just your packs
The rules require a wholesale supply of medicines to be billed with the name of the drug, the quantity and the batch number, so a proper distributor invoice already carries batch details — and good ones print expiry too. Carry the same discipline into your own records: enter batch and expiry when you receive stock, and keep your purchase and sale records for the full period the rules require. The payoff is a clean chain of traceability. When a recall or an inspector's query names a batch, your purchase invoice shows who supplied it and when, your stock entries show what remains, and your GST records reconcile with both. While receiving a delivery, take a minute to match the batch numbers on the invoice against the physical strips — a mismatch is your cue to call the supplier before signing, and it is also one of the simplest checks against suspect stock entering your shop.
Physician samples and Not for Sale packs
Packs marked Physician's Sample — Not to be sold (often printed as Not for Sale) are given free to doctors for patients to try; they are not trade goods and cannot be bought or sold by a pharmacy. The same goes for packs marked for government or hospital supply. Keeping such stock on a sale shelf is an easy finding for an inspector and a very hard one to explain away. If a sample pack ever turns up mixed into a delivery or a customer return, set it aside and send it back — it should never enter your billing.
Quick checklist
- Match batch number and expiry on every incoming strip against the invoice before signing.
- Treat a month-and-year expiry as valid until the last day of that month.
- Bill from the MRP printed on the pack in hand — never above it.
- Record batch and expiry in both purchase and sales entries.
- Follow the storage line on the label, especially 2 to 8 degrees Celsius items.
- Quarantine anything marked Not for Sale and return it to the supplier.
- Keep sale records with batch details for the full retention period.
This is general information for pharmacy and clinic owners, not legal advice — labelling, pricing and record-keeping rules are updated from time to time, so verify current requirements with the Directorate of Drugs Control, Tamil Nadu or your area drug inspector. And if you run a pharmacy, clinic or hospital in Dindigul district, we are always glad to help — every consignment we send goes out with clean, batch-wise invoices your records can rely on.
Frequently asked questions
If a medicine says EXP JUL 2027, can I sell it in July 2027?
Yes. An expiry printed as month and year means the medicine is usable up to the last day of that month, so a pack marked JUL 2027 is good through 31 July 2027 and should not be sold or dispensed from 1 August 2027.
Can a pharmacy charge more than the MRP printed on a medicine?
No. The MRP on a medicine pack is inclusive of all taxes and is the maximum legal selling price; charging above it is an offence. Bill from the MRP printed on the specific pack in hand, since different batches can carry different MRPs.
Why do medicine invoices need to show batch numbers?
Wholesale medicine supply must be billed with the drug name, quantity and batch number, and recording batch and expiry keeps your pharmacy traceable. If a batch is recalled, your invoices show exactly what you bought, from whom, and what remains in stock.
What should I do if a Not for Sale pack turns up in a delivery?
Do not shelve or bill it. Packs overprinted Physician's Sample - Not to be sold are meant for free distribution by doctors and cannot be sold by a pharmacy. Set the pack aside, note the batch, and raise it with your distributor against the invoice so it is replaced or credited.
Check the current rules at the source
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change, so confirm anything that affects your licence or your filings with the authority itself:
Related guides
Managing medicine expiry, near-expiry and returns in your pharmacy · Drug schedules explained: Schedule H, H1 and X for pharmacies · How to keep fake and substandard medicines out of your pharmacy · GST, billing and record-keeping basics for a pharmacy
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