PHARMACY, PHARMACIST, RETAIL - PHARMACIE, PHARMACIEN, DISTRIBUTION

(Reuters) - The U.S.Food and Drug Administration has developed a hand-held device capable of identifying counterfeit or substandard malaria drugs and has signed a letter of intent with Corning Inc to...

HSTodayUS counterfeit drug seizures up 200 per cent in 2011Securing PharmaSeizures of counterfeit pharmaceuticals by US customs tripled in 2011 compared to the previous year, with a domestic value of $16.8m, some $11m higher than in 2010.

Think Quick Response (QR) codes are just for advertising products or transferring addresses and contact information between smartphones? Well, it turns out they can also be used to prevent drug [.....

The world market for pharmaceutical anti-counterfeiting technology will reach around $1.2bn in 2015.

atest Pharmaceutical Anti-counterfeiting Technologies: Market Analysis report from Visiongain suggests that the market will grow "strongly" from 2012 to 2022.

"Growth of the market will be stimulated by the introduction of industry-wide standards," said Peter Williamson, a pharmaceutical industry analyst at Visiongain. "To achieve this, regulatory bodies will enforce mandatory supply chain track-and-trace technologies."

In particular, Visiongain predicts that radio-frequency identification (RFID), optical variable technology and 2D barcoding have a key role to play in fighting drug counterfeiting, with the latter driven a move towards serialisation of medical products in the EU, US and elsewhere..

Meanwhile, consumer empowerment will also help in efforts to counter fake drugs, further benefiting the technology market for pharma supply chain security, according to the report.

"The key to supply chain security lies in the successful introduction of industry-wide standards worldwide," said Williamson. "Cooperation and cohesion between regulatory authorities and manufacturers must improve."

The Visiongain report spans technologies such as security printing, RFID, taggants, and optical variable devices such as holograms and discusses trends for the US, Japan, the top five EU countries, Brazil, Russia, India and China.

For example, in the latter market Visiongain expects modest anti-counterfeiting sales of $28m in 2011 to grow at nearly 15 per cent a year to reach $147m in 2022

Bharti Airtel is set to launch a SMS-based drug-authentication service in Kenya, the first stage of a broad deployment across the group’s 17 African markets. Andre Beyers, chief marketing officer of Airtel Africa, told Mobile Health Live that a commercial launch will happen “in the next few weeks”.

The operator announced a partnership with Sproxil to deploy its drug-authentication service a fortnight ago but without disclosing its launch plans. In fact the first commercial launch will be in Kenya where Bharti Airtel and Sproxil will offer it on behalf of an unnamed pharmaceutical supplier.

Given the level of counterfeiting in the pharmaceutical industry in Africa, drug authentication services are seen as potentially a major market for mobile health.

Bharti Airtel is looking to deploy the service across its 17-country footprint in African and “will look at other areas globally in the not-too-distant future,” said Beyers. The group's other markets include India and Bangladesh.

The operator is keen to push ahead with the service. “We are just about ready in one market [Kenya] and then one after that. So in less than one month we will be up and running,” said Beyers without specifying the second market to launch.

The operator is still relatively new to the mobile health market but has ambitions to grow. Earlier this year the operator outlined its plans to launch a medical helpline service as well as the drug-authentication service.

The helpline service will launch commercially first in Malawi offering general health advice and in Sierra Leone where it will initially be focused on offering advice about cholera. The country has been hit by an serious outbreak of the disease. Both these launches are scheduled for September. The operator will then follow with a country-by-country approach to other markets.

Every year the global pharmaceutical drug industry sees a rise in the number of counterfeit drug incidents. The size and scope of this industry is astronomical.

Drugmaker hopes to stem web sales of counterfeit versions of popular drug and battle embarrassment men feel getting it at pharmacies

Health has always been a huge concern in Africa, now mobile is revolutionizing how doctors are administering healthcare.

A slew of mobile initiatives are revolutionizing the way that healthcare is delivered in Africa and other developing communities. While much has been made of the “mobile revolution” in North America, phones are even more important in developing communities where they are sometimes the only way for people to share and receive information.Health and healthcare have always been a huge concern in Africa, especially when doctors and hospitals can get isolated in remote areas where care is often most needed.

Mobile has been the answer in many cases. In 2010, mobile phones represented more than 90% of all telephone lines in Africa with market penetration expected to pass 50% of the population. Some of the continent’s most advanced markets have already hit nearly 100% penetration, according to Developing Telecoms. Mobile’s big and only getting bigger. Here we take a quick look at four mobile campaigns changing the way that doctors operate in Africa.

The Praekelt Foundation has a variety of products designed to promote mobile penetration and universal health in Africa. TxtAlert, for example, is a mobile tool that sends unique, automated SMS reminders to patients on chronic medication. This reminds them to take their medication or perform other necessary tasks. A special tool, called “Please Call Me” allows patients to call their doctors even if they don’t have any airtime available by pinging their doctor who then calls back.

Young Africa Live is a digital forum where African youths can share stories and get information about HIV and AIDS. It also has helpful numbers and contact details for HIV and AIDS-related organizations. The goal is to destigmatize the diseases while also providing clear facts and support groups for African youths. The portal also features live chats with doctors and relationship experts.

Health eVillages

The Robert F. Kennedy Center and Physicians Interactive launched Health eVillages (pronounced “healthy villages”) to arm doctors in underserved regions with inexpensive phones and high-powered diagnosis tools. The program will deliver those doctors and healthcare workers with new and refurbished mobile devices preloaded with clinical decision support reference tools like drug guides, medical alerts, journal summaries and references pulled from Skyscape, a medical reference app company.

Health eVillages has already run pilot programs in Haiti, Kenya, Uganda and the Greater Gulf Coast. It will be rolling out in earnest in Fall 2011. It estimates that there are more than 1 billion people worldwide living in underserved areas and nearly one-third of countries are low on skilled healthcare workers. The phones will not only reach new areas but hopefully improve the quality of care offered.

The mHealth Alliance is like the A-Team of mobile health initiatives. It draws together some of the largest companies and organizations to further health in developing countries. It’s founding members include The UN Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Vodafone Foundation and U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the GSM Association and HP, among others.

Some of the alliance’s projects include SMS-based drug-counterfeit checker developed by HP, communications systems that connect patients to their doctors, send SMS alerts on the spread of local diseases, a SIMpill, a senso-equipped pill bottle that informs doctors if patients are actually taking their meds, and creating local databases via mobile to improve on-the-ground care. The alliance staunchly believes in open communication and is working to develop interoperable technology that any organization can use.

Medic Mobile

Medic Mobile is all about patient-to-doctor care. The SMS-based platform allows patients to get home-based care even if they can’t be physically visited by a caregiver. The organization launched a pilot program in Malawi which, in six months, saved the clinical staff an estimated 1,200 hours follow-up time and more than $3,000 in fuel and transportation costs. In addition, more than 100 patients received treatment for TB after their symptoms were noticed by the community and reported by text message.

Roche Holding AG is working with U.S. authorities to determine the source of counterfeit Avastin, purchased by at least 19 medical practices in the U.S.

Malgré un environnement réglementé, la contrefaçon sévit même dans les pays industrialisés.

Serialization and traceability are enabling manufacturers across industries to better manage the forward logistics of their supply chains. Through the use of a random alphanumeric code that "marks" each individual product and packaging level, manufacturers can better secure their supply chains through enhanced visibility, improved product logistics and management and authentication of product codes on raw materials, end-products and through sales channels to acquisition and use. 

See Also: Manufacturing & Distribution Center Best Practices

Serialization can be equally useful in reverse logistics applications. Chief among those: recall management. While all manner of products can be recalled – from cars and video-game systems, to food and toys – serialization can be especially vital for pharmaceutical companies. 

Drug Recalls – A Leaner Process

There are hundreds of drug recalls every year. Removing potentially dangerous or even deadly products from the shelves is critical for preserving public health – and the manufacturer's reputation. From an operational standpoint, drug makers put substantial time and resources into the reverse logistics of reclaiming their products from pharmacies, wholesalers and even consumers.

The process is complicated by the fact that, currently, drug recalls are typically done at the lot or batch level. If a drug maker has two production lines, for example, and one of those lines produces a tainted drug, the manufacturer often can't differentiate between the bad drugs and those safely made on the other line. Seeking to minimize risk, the manufacturer must recall all drugs from that lot or batch, regardless of which line produced them. 

Laws like California's E-Pedigree requirements for prescription drugs, however, are poised to change that process. If the law takes effect as expected at the start of 2015, pharmaceutical manufacturers that want their drugs dispensed in California will be required to include a unique identifier (serialization number) on the smallest container saleable to a pharmacy. 

If the manufacturer serializes its products with secure Unique Identification (sUID) and can trace the root cause or quality issue of the tainted drug, it can limit the scope of the recall to that single line. This capability could potentially reduce drug recalls to a fraction of today's levels – from hundreds or thousands of products pulled from the shelves in a single recall to merely dozens. In short, serialization and traceability provide a more granular view of the origin of products and their exact location in the supply chain. In case of a recall, manufacturers can pinpoint which products must be pulled from pharmacy shelves.

Other Applications

Serialization can also be used in other forms of reverse logistics. Manufacturers of retail goods, for example, can utilize serialization in returns management to help identify counterfeit products. Just as the drug manufacturer would "mark" its drug, the retail manufacturer could tag its products with sUIDs. These codes can then be used to confirm, for example, if a wholesaler or downstream distributor is returning original high-value products – or trying to deceive the manufacturer with fraudulent items. 

Serialization and traceability are also valuable for warranties and service repairs. High-tech electronics manufacturers that receive returned products for repairs or under warranty can use sUIDs to track the services needed, and then ensure the repaired products are shipped back to the customer, all while providing full product visibility every step of the way. 

Across industries, serialization and traceability offer manufacturers the advanced tools required to meet increasing regulations and customer expectations. The holistic benefits extend beyond compliance, however. Manufacturers stand to reap savings by minimizing the scale of the reverse supply chain, using less labor and reducing the communications needed across the reverse logistics spectrum.

Consumers of medicine in Nigeria, armed with their mobile phones, are set to outwit the counterfeiters of drugs, writes the BBC's Will Ross.

Ranking of Black market activities worldwide. Contains statistics on drug trafficking, counterfeit goods and other black markets. Prices of various contraband products included.

Where once drug counterfeiters could operate in China with impunity, drug companies like Pfizer and Eli Lilly, makers of often faked erectile dysfunction drugs, now find Chinese authorities willing to put a stop to the operations.

Counterfeit drugs are a global problem. This week, counterfeit versions of Roche’s cancer drug, Avastin were distributed in the United States. The cancer drug makes bank for Roche, about $6B a year.

Un médicament sur deux vendu sur internet est une contrefaçonNet-IrisSelon l'Organisation mondiale de la Santé (OMS), près de 10% du marché mondial du médicament est issu de la contrefaçon, et sur internet 50% des médicaments seraient une...

"Ce phénomène, aux graves conséquences pour la santé publique, s'observe dans tous les pays du monde, même dans les pays développés. L'Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS) estime qu'un médicament sur dix vendu dans le monde est une contrefaçon."

Quelque 1,2 million de sachets d'aspirine de contrefaçon en provenance de Chine ont été saisis mi-mai par les douanes du Havre, soit "la plus...