Anti-counterfeiting Technology Could Help Governments Track Fake Drugs

Developing nations have struggled mightily with counterfeit drugs, like when 400 people in Nigeria, Haiti and Bangladesh died from taking a medication treated with wallpaper remover, and that is why anti-counterfeiting technologies can be important in preventing counterfeit drugs from entering the secure pharmaceutical supply chain.

One such technology has been in use for diabetes medication in Nigeria since this past February, according to AllBusiness.com.

The technology helps to empower drug takers to identify counterfeit drugs using a technique known as crowdsourcing.

Drug takers scratch a sticker on the packaging of their medication, revealing an identification code. The consumer then texts that number on their cellular phone to the drug company, who, in turn, passes it on to the government. It is believed that this technique can help governments better track drug counterfeiters.

“In essence, it’s a 911 for fake drugs,” the founder of the company running the program told the news source.

Crowdsourcing was first developed as a technique to allow consumers to collaborate on projects, like the free online encyclopedia, Wikipedia