India launches QR code system to help consumers verify genuine medicines

Consumers in Gujarat can now verify the genuineness of a medicine by scanning a QR code printed on its packaging, following a new verification system introduced by the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC).

The IPC, which operates under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has introduced a QR code scanning mechanism to curb the circulation of spurious medicines, particularly those manufactured by bogus firms in northern India and sold in the Gujarat market.

Under the system, consumers are required to register their mobile number on the toll-free helpline 1800 180 3024. After registration, they can scan the QR code printed on the medicine strip to check whether an authorised company has manufactured the product. If a medicine appears suspicious during the scan, a complaint can also be lodged through the same toll-free number.

So far, 262 medicines have been brought under the QR code verification system. 

However, representatives of the Federation of Gujarat Stock Chemists and Druggists have pointed out that thousands of medicines are manufactured and marketed under different brand names and have called for the system to be expanded to cover all medicines. They have emphasised that printing a QR code on medicine packaging should be made mandatory.

Furthermore, chemists and wholesale pharmacies have been asked to display QR codes prominently at their counters so that they are easily visible to the public. Scanning these codes would also allow consumers to report adverse drug reactions.

Currently, barcodes or QR codes are required only for medicines exported from India, but not for medicines sold in the domestic market. As a result, only a limited number of pharmaceutical companies have adopted the QR code system.

The national body of the Federation of Gujarat State Chemists and Druggists Associations has also written to the authorities, urging that 100 per cent of medicines sold in the country be brought under the QR code verification system.