Two Drug Makers To Use Text Message Anti-Counterfeiting Technology

Two international pharmaceutical companies recently announced that they would use SaaS-based anti-counterfeiting technology to combat counterfeit drugs.

This type of anti-counterfeiting technology places a scratchable area on drug packaging. The consumer then scratches it to reveal a number. That number is then sent via text message to a government agency, which in turn sends it to the drug manufacturer who confirms or denies the drug’s authenticity. The government body then relays that information back to the consumer.

The text message-based technology informs consumers of whether the medications they are taking are counterfeit drugs. It also allows pharmaceutical companies and government agencies to track the flow of counterfeit drugs.

There are currently a number of cell phone-based anti-counterfeiting technologies that are available. One is an application (commonly refered to as an “app”) that tracks prescription drugs through the supply chain.

Ensuring that one doesn’t take tainted or counterfeit drugs is vital as the consequence of ingesting such medication can be deadly. In 1998, 400 people died in Nigeria, Haiti and Bangladesh died from taking a drug that was treated with a solvent used in wallpaper remover.

SaaS stands for “Software as a Service.” It is a type of software designed to be deployed over the internet to run behind a firewall on a local area network. There are a number of different uses for this technology.