Pilot Project to Mitigate Risk of Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals
Frisay’s post about fake parts in the supply chain is underscored by recent news from the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). The EFPIA announced last week that it has launched a two-month pilot project to verify medicines and help reduce the risk of counterfeit pharmaceuticals being dispensed to patients.
The project, underway in 25 retail pharmacies in and around Stockholm, will verify more than 100,000 products. Each product will be coded with a small data matrix (similar to a barcode) that, once scanned, can alert the pharmacist as to whether or not a pack has been previously dispensed. The data matrix will contain information about product code, batch number, the expiry date and a unique, randomized serial number which identifies packs individually.
