Government is planning to launch QR code Track and Trace Mechanism to check the Medicines

The government is planning to launch a "Track and Trace" Mechanism for top selling medicines to prevent the use of forged and low-quality medicines. This  QR Code will also authenticate about the drug along with the name of the company and expiry date of the brand. With this decision it is now allow consumers to check whether the medicine you are using is safe or not and enter them on government website.

QR Code on Medicines

In the first phase 300 top selling drugs will Print or affix QR codes on their first product Primary level packaging labels like can,bottle,jar or tube saleable items. Pain relief Tablets, Antibiotics, cardiac, anti-allergic with an MRP of over Rs 100 per strip are expected to be in the first phase list.

This announcement was expected a decade ago as it was delayed due to lack of preparedness in Domestic pharmaceutical industry.Even for experts this track and trace mechanism has been postponed till April next year. This system will also increase the costs of the company by 3-4%.

Over the years we are seeing several instances of forged and low quality medicines/drugs  in the market. These fake drugs are seized by the state drug regulators in various parts of the world. About 10% of the drugs in the low and middle income countries are falsified.

In June the government asked pharma companies to affix barcodes or QR codes on their primary or secondary package information with authenticated software application that helps to store data or information about the medicine in a reliable way. Consumers  can check the genuineness of the medicine easily by scanning the unique ID QR code on a portal developed by ministry and later track on using the mobile or text message.

Various options are also being studied to set up a central database agency for a single barcode provider for the entire industry.and it takes sometime to implement it. The implementation will increase the costs by 3-4% and certain companies already started affixing QR Code voluntarily. This facility will allow manufacturers and consumers to report counterfeit pharma codes using various handheld devices.and Mobile applications.