Swedish pharmacists tackle fake medicines
New technology designed to combat counterfeit drugs has been successfully trialled by pharmacists in Sweden, as a new EU directive on tackling fake medicines makes its way through the European Parliament.
The two-dimensional (2D) barcode system, which is backed by Europe's pharmaceutical industry, allows retail pharmacists to verify the product is authentic and check whether a medicine has been previously dispensed.
Pharmacy staff and industry experts say the technology could help keep counterfeit medicines from entering the distribution chain, and makes life difficult for pharmaceutical bootleggers.
The pilot project saw 100,000 packs scanned and verified - at the time of dispensing - in 25 pharmacies across Stockholm, in collaboration with pharmaceutical retail chain Apoteket AB.
The project also had the support of pharmaceutical distributors Tamro and KD Pharma, as well as the Swedish pharmaceutical manufacturers' association. Packs from 14 manufacturers were provided with the 2D data matrix, allowing each pack to be identified individually before being dispensed to customers.
The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) said the technology could provide answers on how to protect patients from counterfeit products.
>> EurActive