ABUJA – Startups in Nigeria are helping fight counterfeit pharmaceutical drugs in Africa’s most populous na- tion, where the prevalence rate of fake drugs is higher than the global average 10 percent and contributes to several deaths annually.The most counterfeited are drugs for anti-malaria, pain and antibiotics, according to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).To fight the flood of fake pills, the agency, in partner- ship with the startups has created stickers with uniquecodes that manufacturers and distributors can attach to boxes and sachets of pills. Consumers can then use apps on their phones to scan the code and confirm their au- thenticity.Lagos-based Chekkit Technologies’ mobile app allows patients to check au- thenticity and enables man- ufacturers to see the number of new customers using their products.“They’ve (manufacturers) also been able to discover things like side effects, po- tential side effects their prod- uct could have on consumersbased on what […]
Nigerian startups help fight scourge of fake medicines
