A pilot project intended to counter the challenge of counterfeit medicines entering the legitimate supply chain has been launched this week in Sweden by the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations.
The project involves individually identifying packs of medicine through the use of a small “data matrix” which, when scanned, can give pharmacists information such as whether that pack of medication has been dispensed already, an EFPIA press release said. The pilot will be used in 25 pharmacies in Stockholm.
This action comes in response to a European Commission public consultation on combating counterfeit drugs, in which one of the suggested measures was serialisation of medicine to allow authentication in a pharmacy at the point-of-sale.
The European Generics Association raised concerns [pdf] during the public consultation about the EC’s suggestion, saying it might pose sizeable costs for small manufacturers and does not constitute a reliable prevention system.
EFPIA Director General Brian Ager said in a release that the verification system “will not provide a complete solution to the challenge of counterfeit medicines” but that it would make “a significant contribution to product security and reinforce patient confidence in the legitimate supply chain.”