Countering the Counterfeits

Amid the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic, we have witnessed a host of man-made disasters such as poor oxygen supply, scarcity of beds, lack of meds to name a few. In addition to this, another challenge that emerged was counterfeit medications. This issue is not new to any of the industries, it's spread across consumer, electronic, and pharmaceuticals industries.

India, the Pharmaceutical hub of the world, accounts for manufacturing ~20% of the generics being consumed across the globe.

India, the Pharmaceutical hub of the world, accounts for manufacturing ~20% of the generics being consumed across the globe. Needless to say that our core competency is low-cost manufacturing. Being a low-cost affair, some players get lured to make money by infusing counterfeit products in the supply chain. India accounts for 35% of all fake drugs originate in India, according to the report by ASSOCHEM (Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India) published in 2007.

Amid the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic, we have witnessed a host of man-made disasters such as poor oxygen supply, scarcity of beds, lack of meds to name a few. In addition to this, another challenge that emerged was counterfeit medications. This issue is not new to any of the industries, it's spread across consumer, electronic, and pharmaceuticals industries.

India, the Pharmaceutical hub of the world, accounts for manufacturing ~20% of the generics being consumed across the globe.

India, the Pharmaceutical hub of the world, accounts for manufacturing ~20% of the generics being consumed across the globe. Needless to say that our core competency is low-cost manufacturing. Being a low-cost affair, some players get lured to make money by infusing counterfeit products in the supply chain. A report by WHO (2017) claims 10.5 percent of medicines sold in low and middle-income countries, including India, are falsified and substandard

A report by WHO (2017) claims 10.5 percent of medicines sold in low and middle-income countries, including India, are falsified and substandard

Counterfeit became a much popular term during the Covid-19 pandemic as few notorious people started pumping in fake injections and tablets in the system. This not only killed innocent people but also raised an alarm that it's time to act against counterfeit products.

In this article, I enumerate the possible ways and means to "Counter the Counterfeits". Technological improvements in packaging along with stakeholders' alertness can be a full-proof remedy against counterfeit.

Technological Improvements

• QR Codes: QR Codes come to our mind when we talk about Codes. Printing QR codes+ Unique 10 digits alphanumeric code on foils can help patients verifying the medicines. Ideally QR codes should be redirected to a website where patients can type Unique numbers to check the authenticity of the product.
• Unique Product Code: Each strip/ mono cartons should have a unique product code on which patients or chemist can just scan from a dedicated website and can check the authenticity of the product
• Covert & overt graphical elements: Unique printing on strips can help identify a genuine product.

• Tamper packing: Tamper-proof shipments from Factory to Stockists can help identify any tampering of packaging throughout the supply chain. Further to it, Retail chemist should be encouraged buying cartons (pack of 10 strips) which can carry such tamper-proof pack in order to avoid any infiltration.

Stakeholder's alertness

Stakeholders namely Physician, Patients, Pharmacies (Online+ Offline), Partners of the Supply chain (Stockiest, sub-stockists, CFAs), Pharmaceutical alliances play a pivotal role in curbing the menace of Counterfeits.

1.   Physician: Should encourage their patients to purchase products from reliable chemist shops & even reliable e-pharmacy at their discretion. The patient always listens to their treating physicians and also respect any suggestions about purchasing medicines from a reliable source

2.   Patients: Plays a pivotal role in countering this problem. Must be educated enough to get authenticity checked from online resources and above technological improvements are implemented. Today's young generation should land a helping hand to their relatives for getting authentic medications.

3.   Pharmacy: Should always rely on trusted Stockiest partners and opt for medicine of recognized organizations. Should be able to verify the authenticity of medicine based on any technological improvements being implemented in medicines. The online pharmacy should strictly be sourcing from either authorized supply chain partners of Pharma or Pharma company itself.

4.   Partners of Supply chain: Retail pharmacy along with Partners are vulnerable stakeholders where infiltration might happen if due care is not given. I propose, that Government/ Pharma alliances should launch a universal inventory portal for the whole supply chain. Seamless data transfer along with physical good transfers can prevent any breach in the whole supply chain. For example, Each strip that exits from Manufacturing should reach multiple chemists via the supply chain but the quantity should be traceable until dispensed from the chemist.

5.   Pharmaceutical alliances: Menace of counterfeit can not be tackled by one company, but this is a team effort. Irrespective business interests, all top pharma players should rise to the occasion and launch an aggressive drive to countering the counterfeit. This is possible by "instituting a universal inventory portal" making it mandatory for the whole supply chain. Collaborative efforts can certainly help to fight this evil. Moreover, they may seek a policy from the central government about strict possible punishment for those who are involved in this illegitimate practice. (Many lives are lost due to counterfeit Remdesivir in the pandemic, These culprits should be charged with culpable homicide.)

Authors Disclaimer: The author has written this article in a personal capacity (not the professional one). Open for a debate, discussion, or counter viewpoints. The cost was not taken into consideration while proposing technological improvements.