Sproxil authenticating drugs via SMS

A company called Sproxil has designed a way for consumers to make sure the medications purchased are authentic. Using any cell phone, customers can text message an item-unique code and receive an instant response confirming the brand’s genuineness.

In an interview with MediaGlobal, Alden Zecha, CFO and Strategist for Sproxil explained, “We saw the tremendous need to protect consumers, especially the economically disadvantaged in developing nations, and decided to design a solution to solve the problem.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that up to 30 percent of medication on the market in developing countries in Africa are counterfeit and have found that nearly half of the drugs sold in Angola, Burundi, and the Congo are substandard. Additionally, about two-thirds of anti-malaria drugs in Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Vietnam contain insufficient active ingredients.

Sproxil is currently operating in Nigeria and has plans to roll the system out globally over time, giving priority to countries that have a significant drug counterfeiting issue and government support to address the problem. “Working together we can succeed in stopping the counterfeiters who profit at the expense of others. Thousands of people are using our system regularly and more are joining all the time. We receive thank you messages from users about how Sproxil’s solution has made a notable difference in their lives,” Zecha explained.

With a high number of fake drugs being sold worldwide, this simple verification plan offers a way of letting consumers know exactly what they are getting when they purchase the drug and is likely to reduce the number of deaths due to fake medicines.

Read the full article here.

Category: Featured