Authenticity Verification of Medications in Just One Minute

he Pharmaceutical Business in Europe: Ensuring Authenticity with "Medicines Control" App

Selling pharmaceuticals is a highly profitable business in Europe, as every person sooner or later encounters the need to use medication. Unfortunately, this high demand is the main reason for the prevalence of a large number of counterfeit drugs in the market. Even in the most developed Western countries, the estimated percentage of counterfeit drugs is around 8%, while in some Eastern European countries, this figure reaches a staggering 40%.

Looking at these statistics, it becomes clear why the differentiation between counterfeit and original drugs is crucial for every individual. The need for medication will arise for each one of us at some point. However, until recently, it was challenging for the average person to identify the differences — until Ukrainian developers introduced the "Medicines Control" service.

What is the "Medicines Control" service all about?

raditionally, it would take a Ukrainian several days to confirm the authenticity of a particular drug by collecting and studying all the regulatory documentation. Thanks to the service created by Ukrainians Natalia Huran and Maxim Lyubarets, this process can now be completed in a matter of minutes.

hey undertook a monumental effort, assembling a database of all registered drugs in Ukraine. Subsequently, they realized that they could create a relatively simple algorithm for the program to check the pharmaceutical drug in the State Drug Control Service registry. All it requires is entering the drug batch number.

The "Medicines Control" app currently operates only on Android OS, but a version for Apple devices is expected to be released soon. Among its advantages is its low data usage — only 4 KB is sufficient for a single request. This means that the app can be used efficiently even in rural areas with poor network coverage.

It is worth noting that the service of verifying the authenticity of a drug through "Medicines Control" is a paid service. However, the price is quite symbolic and does not exceed $1 for a maximum period of use, which is one year. Additionally, the app offers several very useful additional functions, which are available at no extra cost:

• Drug search;
• Search for generic drugs — it is no secret that in most cases, a patient seeks the exact drug prescribed by the doctor, while there might be a cheaper and equally effective generic alternative available;
• Access to the drug's instructions.

Work on the app continues unabated. In Ukraine's market, up to 1,000 new drugs are added monthly, causing the databases to quickly become outdated. Therefore, updates are performed twice daily. This feature sets the program apart from similar ones invented in other countries. Moreover, there are discussions regarding its expansion to other nations as well.

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