Cracking the New National Drug Code Format

Every drug label, claims system and supply-chain database in the United States keys on the National Drug Code — and the FDA is changing its format. FDLI's live webinar, 24 September 2026, 2:00–3:30 p.m. ET, walks through the agency's final rule moving the NDC from 10 to 12 digits and what stakeholders should be doing before it takes effect in March 2033.

Dates and format

• Date: 24 September 2026, 2:00–3:30 p.m. ET
• Format: live webinar
• Pricing: $149 members / $249 non-members
• Organizer: Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI)

What it covers

The 12-digit NDC sounds like a formatting footnote until you list what reads the current one: product labels, barcodes, reimbursement claims, pharmacy dispensing systems, serialization data and every internal master-data table built since the 1970s. FDLI's panel covers what manufacturers, distributors and other stakeholders need to know to prepare — including potential impacts on labeling and data retention — and how to use the seven-year runway before the rule takes effect in March 2033.

Who should attend

Regulatory affairs and labeling leads who own NDC-bearing artwork; supply chain and serialization managers whose systems parse the code; and counsel advising on transition timelines. Ninety minutes now is cheap insurance against treating a 2033 deadline as a 2032 problem.

The day before, FDA's chemical characterization town hall covers the device side — and the full events directory lists everything we have verified.