Now QR codes will also be made behind medicines, every person will benefit, know about this good step.

New Delhi: The government may soon launch a ‘track and trace’ program to check the use of spurious and substandard medicines. It will match QR codes. By scanning the QR code, the customer will be able to easily know whether the pills they are consuming are authentic or not.

The report said that the exercise is currently underway for this program, under which QR codes will be printed on the packaging label first. Primary packaging labels are first-tier packaging such as a bottle, can, jar, tube or strip.

That is, QR codes will be put on those in which medicines are sent. Medicines costing more than Rs 100 per strip can be included in the first phase.

Recently there have been many reports of counterfeit medicines in the market. Glenmark’s blood pressure pill, Telma-H’s racket busted in Baddi. In another instance, Abbott’s Thyronorm was rejected by the Telangana government because the drug did not meet the standards. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 10 percent of medical products in low- and middle-income countries are substandard.

Identification of 300 drugs

According to media reports, the Ministry of Health has asked the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DOP) to shortlist 300 drug brands, which are mandated to mandatorily affix QR codes. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) had identified a list of 300 drugs as widely used drugs. These include pain relievers, contraceptives, vitamins, blood-sugar and high blood pressure medications.

However, it should also be noted that if this arrangement is implemented, then the cost for the phone makers is expected to increase by 3-4 percent. Along with QR codes, the government may also soon launch a portal where customers can feed unique IDs of medicines and check their authenticity.