SE: Use of article number series

The Nordic Article Number (Vnr) is an identification code for a specific article of medicine with marketing authorisation in the Nordic countries. The Vnr is a six-digit-code (000001-199999 and 370000-599999) given to all human and veterinary medicines. It enables a simple verification of packages at all stages in the drug supply chain from prescription to the patient.

The remaining six-digit-codes (200000-369999 and 600000-999999), which are not Nordic Article Numbers (000001-199999 and 370000-599999), are called National article numbers. They are used differently in the Nordic countries, for instance for consumer products (e.g. shampoo, etc.), medical devices (e.g. blood glucose test strips and colostomy bags), as well as for compounded drugs provided under special licence and extemporaneous preparations. This means that the same National article number is used for different articles in different countries.

In the table below all Swedish six-digit-codes are listed. It also shows what different number series are used for, and the owners of these series – January 2021, version 4.0.