Since there are so many pharmaceutical businesses on the market nowadays, you may occasionally wonder if the medication you are taking is safe or not. The government wants to implement a “track and trace” system for the most popular drugs to solve the problem and limit the use of fake and subpar medications.
The decision, which was originally conceived ten years ago, will also guarantee quality. Due to a lack of readiness in the domestic pharmaceutical business, it was put on hold. The track and trace system has been delayed until April of the next year for exports as well.
Details about the Indian government to launch QR codes to help detect fake medicines soon:
In the first phase, 300 of the top-selling medications’ “primary” packaging labels will have barcodes or quick response (QR) codes applied. The first-level product packaging, which includes the bottles, cans, jars, and tubes that hold the salable goods, is considered to be primary. Antibiotics, heart medications, painkillers, and allergy medications with an MRP of more than Rs 100 per strip are anticipated to be included in this phase.
In order to facilitate authentication, the Center has asked pharmaceutical companies to affix barcodes or QR codes to the principal or secondary package labels that store data or information readable by software programs.
Once this mechanism is in place, customers will be able to track their orders via a mobile device or text message in addition to entering the unique ID code on a portal (website) created by the ministry to verify the medicine’s authenticity. Costs will go up by 3–4% after the system is implemented, according to sources
Due to the countless instances of fake and inferior pharmaceuticals being sold in the market and some of them being seized by state drug authorities, this endeavor has been long overdue.
Thyronorm, a thyroid drug made by Abbott, was one such instance that was recently found. The pharmaceutical company claimed that Thyronorm, which the Telangana medicines authority had designated as “not of standard quality,” was fake and was not produced nor promoted by it. Another case involved the busting of a bogus drug ring selling Glenmark’s blood pressure medication Telma-H at Baddi.
The World Health Organization estimates that 10% of medical items in low- and middle-income nations are poor or fake, despite the fact that these products can be found anywhere in the world.
