Medicine that expires while it sits on the shelf

The problem

The same item arrives in different batches with different expiry dates, and an ordinary till cannot tell them apart, so the newest is dispensed and the oldest sits there until it is worthless.

None of it surfaces until the stocktake, by which time the loss has already happened.

What we built

Stock is held as batches rather than as items: each batch carries its own expiry date and its own purchase cost.

Dispensing draws from the nearest to expire first without the pharmacist having to think about it, and refuses an expired batch outright.

Lists of what is approaching expiry and what it is worth, and of what has reached its reorder level.

What changed

What is nearing expiry is known weeks ahead, so it is sold or returned to the supplier instead of written off.

Purchasing became a decision based on what actually sells rather than on memory.

Dispensing does not stop when the internet does, because the system runs on the pharmacy’s own machine.