How do you fight against counterfeit medicines

About 10% of medicines consumed in developing countries are of poor quality or counterfeit. This was indicated in 2017 by a study conducted by the United Nations (UN) based on data collected in 88 countries. With this information as its main argument, the World Health Organization (WHO) called on states to improve detection and control systems for the marketing of medicines .

Our government has taken note of and implemented in 2019 the Spanish Drug Verification System (SEVeM), which operates in coordination with similar instruments of the European Union. The supervision of this system is the responsibility of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) and the national health authorities .

 

Thanks to SEVeM, in Spain, it is possible to differentiate one container of medicines from another by means of a unique identifier, "which makes it practically impossible for counterfeit medicines to enter the legal supply chain", according to the National Association of Pharmaceutical Companies. . . , Farmanddustria. This is due to the collaboration of laboratories, manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies. In order to detect modified products, the anti-counterfeiting system has two security elements: on the one hand, an identifier in the form of a Datamatrix code, ie a two-dimensional verification code in a human-readable format, which contains approximately twenty elements . . . .

The number of characters generated by a randomization algorithm that indicates the batch number and expiration date. With this tool, the authenticity of each medicine container is verified. The second device is an anti-burglary system to ensure that the container has not been opened since it leaves the production line until it is sold in pharmacies .

 


The method has proven its effectiveness: at the end of 2020, SEVeM signed contracts with 490 MA holders. In addition, 325 distribution depots, 22,100 pharmacies and 197 pharmacy departments of private hospitals joined its network. The connection with the public hospitals will be made when SNS Farma Node becomes available, an IT tool of the Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Assistance that allows the exchange of information between the agencies concerned . 

SEVeM data indicates that at the end of last year, more than 18,000 drug references were loaded into its system, more than 2.7 billion unique identifiers, more than 750 million containers checked and more than 500 million drugs deactivated due to irregularities. . , a figure that illustrates the scale of the problem.

The state's advances in drug authentication have found an ally in digitalization, essential to track the evolution of a product in each of its stages. In addition to state regulations and international organizations such as the European Union, there are tools and methods developed by companies to improve fraud detection. For example, the Swiss company SICPA, which works with both states and private organizations, has created a label that identifies and tracks plastics used in the manufacture of medical devices so that children can be discovered regardless of their condition. It also has invisible stamps and even inks that are applied to the original drug containers, which criminals dilute or even modify with toxic substances. This is a very important task: according to SICPA, these products are responsible for 700,000 annual deaths from malaria and tuberculosis, almost all in poor countries.

SICPA's director of business development, Spaniard Fabián Torres, points out that this type of procedure is more necessary than ever, given the large number of covid-19 diagnostic tests that take place daily around the world. The possibility of changing them has made it essential to use encryption methods or invisible ink on documents to detect fraud. In addition, verification of the European Covid digital certificate, known as the covid passport, is essential to avoid infections and epidemics. "We advise governments and authorities to prevent forgery of passports and coronavirus tests," said Torres, who said "strong measures must be taken to prevent such fraud." "

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