Anti-counterfeiting pilot a success, says EFPIA

A pilot project aimed at stopping counterfeit medicines getting into the supply chain has been a resounding success, according to EFPIA.

The test run is the first such scheme organised by the European pharmaceutical industry association, which is keen to secure the supply chain against counterfeit medicines.

The pilot involved pharmaceutical companies manufacturing medicines that were fitted with a simple two-dimensional data matrix barcode, making them uniquely identifiable and traceable through the supply chain.

The medicine packs were then given a final scan by the pharmacist before being dispensed to the patient.

The pilot was conducted in Sweden between September 2009 and January 2010, and EFPIA says it has successfully demonstrated that a product verification system is both robust and effective.

Nearly 100,000 packs in 25 pharmacies across Stockholm were scanned and verified at the time of dispensing, in collaboration with Swedish pharmacy retail chain Apoteket AB.

The project also had the support of pharmaceutical distributors Tamro and KD Pharma and the co-operation of LIF, the Swedish pharmaceutical manufacturers’ association. Packs from 14 manufacturers were provided with the 2-D data matrix, allowing each pack to be individually identified.

EFPIA says the system would be a valuable asset in reducing the risk of counterfeit medicines reaching patients via the legitimate supply chain.

David Brennan, chief executive of AstraZeneca and EFPIA Board champion for the project, said: “Counterfeit medicines pose a threat to patient safety, so we want to be sure that the patient receives genuine medicine every time.”

He continued: “This pilot has demonstrated that the proposed EFPIA model could offer a proportionate and cost-effective means to improve the security of medicines.”

Stefan Carlsson, chief executive of Apoteket added: “We undertook this project to make our contribution to developing a new system that could improve patient safety.”

He added: “We were very pleased with the experience; the system integrated seamlessly into our existing Point of Sale system and normal workflow; this made it made it easy to use. Our experience of the Data Matrix suggests it will be valuable for preventing counterfeits and for other management functions in the pharmacies.”

EFPIA said the pilot has been a great example of ‘constructive co-operation’ among all stakeholders in the pharmaceutical supply chain; wholesalers, retail pharmacists and the authorities.