Keywords: EFPIA, Counterfeiting, Sweden, Europe,

EFPIA unveils new medicine coding system to help address the growing risk of counterfeit medicines

Article | 21 October 2009

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The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) has unveiled a Swedish pilot project to verify medicines and so help reduce the risk of counterfeit medicines being dispensed to patients. The verification system is being piloted in conjunction with project partners Apoteket AB, the Swedish pharmaceutical retailer, and local wholesalers, Tamro and Oriola-KD.

Using a small data matrix - similar to a barcode - to individually number each pack of medicine, the system can provide the pharmacist with an almost instantaneous verification as to whether a pack has been previously dispensed. A confirmation will immediately alert them to the risk that the pack may be counterfeit, the trade body notes.

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Brian Ager, director general of the Association, said: “This EFPIA initiative represents an important contribution to meeting the challenge posed by counterfeit medicines entering the legitimate supply chain. By investing in this pilot project, the research-based industry has demonstrated its ongoing commitment to patient safety.” However, he continued: “Individual product verification will not provide a complete solution to the challenge of counterfeit medicines. Nevertheless, as part of a package of measures, this type of end-to end verification system will make a significant contribution to product security and reinforce patient confidence in the legitimate supply chain.”

Stefan Carlsson, chief executive of Apoteket, added: “We recognise that both pharmacists and patients need to have confidence in the medical supply chain, which is why we were willing to be involved at the outset.” Mr Carlsson continued: “Our pharmacists’ initial experience with the system confirms its ease of use, with no significant delays for patients. It offers an accessible and inclusive method of addressing the pharmacist’s role in providing product verification.”

The EFPIA system is being trialled in 25 retail pharmacies in and around Stockholm and will verify more than 100,000 products. The data matrix, smaller than a fingernail, can contain enough data to individually code each pack of medicine with information including the product code, batch number, the expiry date and a unique, randomised serial number which identifies packs individually. It is expected to run until late November.

The system is part of EFPIA’s response to the European Commission’s proposal for a mass serialization of medicinal products as part of measures to better protect European Union citizens from the serious threats posed by counterfeit medicines. The EFPIA says it hopes the system can offer the basis for a cost-effective, harmonized and interoperable system across member states. This will help reduce the risk of a proliferation of incompatible national systems, and help ensure product verification for medicine wherever they are dispensed within the EU, it believes.