ITS operates on the basis of single drug units. However, commercial transfers are not done by single units; instead they are done using transport units such as bundles, cases and pallets. Thus, the need to share information of the transport units among the stakeholders arose. Therefore, an XML file standard that includes the hierarchical relation between the transportation unit and the drug units has been developed with the contribution of the stakeholders. Furthermore a secondary system, ITS-PTS, operating as web services has been developed to allow stakeholders to share created XML files among each other. 

In cases where great amounts of product transfer come into question among stakeholders, PTS is the system where the information of the dispatched products is sent to the transferee stakeholder in a hierarchical structure. Later on, it is possible to make a product purchase notification without the products being read one at a time.

PTS uses the ITS authentication system in order to share transfer files among the stakeholders. In addition it also contributes to the stock regulation and tracking since it also contains the hierarchical structure of the transfer units.

Making a PTS notification does not mean that an ITS notification has also been done. PTS only provides an information transfer. For ITS notifications it is necessary to use the related web services (dispatch, product purchase, etc.). The purpose of PTS is to save time of the stakeholders. Since reading every single drug unit in the bundles and cases is a loss of time, the manufacturer company sends the information of the products dispatched through to the pharmaceutical wholesaler in the standards identified through PTS. The pharmaceutical wholesaler on the other hand gets the product information through PTS and makes the notifications to ITS using this data either with the software developed by its own or with the stock softwares obtained externally.

PTS is an supporting system which has emerged from the needs of the sector and has been developed in order to serve these needs. Two stakeholders which will execute the trade, in case they reach an agreement among themselves, can make ITS notifications without using PTS. However all the notifications which are needed to be made to ITS is under the responsibility of the stakeholders. All the notifications from production to consumption of a product which is under the scope of Phase 2 must be made. In case the necessary notifications are not made on time, notifications like dispatch and consumption in the subsequent processes cannot be made. When a manufacturer sends a great amount of products to a pharmaceutical wholesaler, and if it does not send the product information via PTS, the pharmaceutical wholesaler may have trouble while making the product purchase notification to ITS. When such a setback is suffered at this stage if the product’s product purchase and dispatch notifications could not have been done, it will not be possible for the transferee pharmacy to sell these products.

In this context, stakeholders making the necessary notifications via PTS will provide great convenience.

For detailed information on PTS you may examine the PTS Working Principles document.