Reading the numbers on a Surgilube box

A Surgilube box carries more numbers than a lottery ticket, and listings quote them inconsistently. Here is what each one is, using real codes from the current packaging.

The NDC

The National Drug Code is the ten-digit identifier in the format 0281-0205-XX. The first segment, 0281, is the labeler code for HR Pharmaceuticals. The middle segment identifies the product. The last two digits mark the package: 37 is the 4.25 oz flip-top tube, 36 the screw-top, 12 the 2 oz tube, 43 the 3 g packet box, 45 the 5 g packet box. When a listing title ends in a string like 281020543, that is the NDC with the dashes removed, which sellers use as an item number.

Item and reorder numbers

Distributors often assign their own catalog numbers on top, so the same 3 g box can appear under three different references depending on who sells it. The NDC is the one constant. If a listing and a box need to be matched, ignore the seller number and compare NDCs.

HCPCS references

Supply paperwork sometimes lists HCPCS codes: A4332 covers a sterile lubricant packet and A4402 covers lubricant billed per ounce. These are billing classifications, not product numbers, and whether they apply to a given order is a question for whoever handles that paperwork, not for a catalog. They are listed in the number index because people search by them.

The lot and the date

Every tube crimp and packet edge carries a lot number and an expiration date. Neither appears in listings, which is worth knowing: the date on the box that arrives is the one that matters, and stock rotates, so two orders a year apart will not carry the same one.