In brief
Zuellig Pharma launched the eZTracker app in early April. Consumers scan the QR code on medicine packaging to verify its source through blockchain. Hong Kong is the first pilot market, and the company plans to expand the list of verifiable medicines and extend to other Asia-Pacific markets.
Counterfeit goods continue to trouble consumers, and if medical supplies are counterfeit, the consequences can be serious. A pharmaceutical supplier has applied blockchain technology so that consumers can use a mobile phone to check the source information of medicine packaging. The solution has chosen Hong Kong as its first pilot market and will be extended to other Asia-Pacific markets in the future.
Zuellig Pharma launched a mobile application called eZTracker in early April. Consumers simply scan the QR code on the medicine packaging with their phone to quickly verify the medicine's source information. The app connects to the blockchain to verify information on manufacturers and suppliers. If a product is found not to come from an authorised distributor, users can report the situation, and the app will also send an instant alert to the manufacturer so that an investigation can begin as soon as possible. Consumers can currently use the app to verify an HPV cervical cancer vaccine.
Manual Packaging Checks Are Unreliable
In an interview, Andi Umbricht, Chief Executive Officer of Zuellig Pharma for Hong Kong and Macau (Andi Umbricht), explained that the problem of counterfeit medicine is growing worse globally. The company previously conducted a survey which found that 88% of respondents in Hong Kong were unclear about or did not know what counterfeit medicine is. Although 12% of respondents were aware of the problem, when they needed to verify a medicine they would only check the packaging, for example whether the security seal was intact and whether anything looked abnormal about the packaging. He noted that as counterfeiting techniques become more and more sophisticated, manual inspection has become unreliable.
In fact, in recent years many consumer products have made good use of the tamper-proof nature of blockchain to let consumers or other production partners confirm information such as a product's origin. Asked whether consumers would be willing to install an additional app to look up such information, Umbricht said that early response to the app has been good, that consumers are eager for this information, and that the company will also work with doctors, distributors and others to promote the app. In future, the company also intends to expand the list of medicines that can be verified and to extend its use to other Asia-Pacific markets, but it will first make sure the initial phase runs smoothly.
As the number of medicines and participating suppliers grows, expanding the system will inevitably bring challenges. However, he said, "If 10% to 15% of the medicines in circulation on the market are counterfeit, that is really far too many, and the public would bear an even greater cost as a result."
Original article: https://bit.ly/3eFitx2