EFPIA says anti-counterfeit product verification pilot project has been successful

The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) has published the results of its product verification system pilot project to prevent counterfeiting of medicines. The pilot, held in Sweden between September 2009 and January 2010, successfully demonstrated that a product verification system at the point of dispense, based on a two-dimensional data matrix, is both robust and effective.

When the project was unveiled last fall, Brian Ager, director general of the association, said: 'This EFPIA initiative represents an important contribution to meeting the challenge posed by counterfeit medicines entering the legitimate supply chain (The Pharma Letter October 21, 2009).

Response to EC proposal for mass serialization