Fake Drug Spotting System

mPedigree, a Fake Drug Spotting System Via Text Message

To fight drug counterfeiters, manufacturers have tried integrating holograms onto their labels and, more recently, RFID tags. But those methods are too costly for distributors in the poorest countries. One company has a simpler solution: mPedigree has matched cellphones and cloud computing with unique 10-digit codes on each package. The result is a drug verification service that’s as elegant as it is cheap.

Manufacturers tag their products with a code that consumers can enter into their cellphones and send via SMS for free. The consumer will get a "yes" or "no" response indicating the trustworthiness of the medicine.

This year, mPedigree is working with Hewlett-Packard, a handful of the biggest international pharmaceutical corporations and other major players to expand the program from its pilot site in Ghana to Nigeria and later Kenya and Tanzania. Tests began with antimalarial drugs, and will expand to include stomach parasite killers, painkillers and others.

A solution like this was badly needed.

Read more: 7 Medical Device Upgrades for Developing Countries - Popular Mechanics