ISLAMABAD: The sale of spurious medicines may finally be stopped in the country as the longstanding “barcode system” project has been included in the agenda items of the upcoming cabinet meeting for approval.

Under the global identification code system, the citizens can verify a medicine along with its price from their smart phones. Moreover, the new system will make it possible for the pharmaceutical companies to track the movement of a drug and recall it in case of any complaint.

The Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) and its ancillary Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) worked on the introduction of the barcode system for almost two years in order to eradicate the sale of spurious drugs and overpricing. After finalisation, the project has been included in the agenda of the upcoming cabinet meeting to be held in the current week.

An official of the Ministry of NHS said after the launch of the project most of the drug-related complaints would be addressed.

The project has been included on the agenda of the forthcoming federal cabinet meeting

“Just like in departmental stores, the prices of the products are checked through the barcode which are single dimensional. All the pharmaceutical companies will have to use two dimensional barcodes on the packets of medicines,” he said.

Those who use smart phones can scan the two dimensional barcodes after downloading the software free of cost, he said.

The purchasers will get information about the names of a product, its maker, batch number, expiry date and the price. He said the software would not identify the barcode of a spurious medicine.

“Moreover, sometimes because of complaints such as mixing of an unwanted chemical in a drug or a fungus it will become easy for the company concerned to track the movement of the medicine and call it back,” he said.

The official said through the barcode government hospitals, which purchased drugs in a bulk, would also be able to keep a check on the expiry and the availability of the medicines,” he said.

NHS Secretary Ayub Sheikh confirmed to Dawn that the barcode system had been prepared.

“Because of the barcode, chances of the sale of spurious drugs will be eradicated. The Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, Pharma Bureau and other stakeholders were taken onboard on the new system. They were willing to introduce the barcode as it was in their own interest,” he said.

In reply to a question, the secretary said initially there was a proposal to use the scratch-able barcode. However, the proposal was dropped because it was costly.

“Citizens who do not possess smart phones can request the owner of the medical store or any other person present there to help them in verifying a medicine,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2017