The LEADERs Guide for HealthCare Pros

Usually when healthcare professionals think about patients getting counterfeit drugs, they assume the patient ordered a drug from a foreign website pharmacy that’s nothing more than an online front for counterfeiters.
However, in early February the US Food and Drug Administration announced that it had discovered an unlicensed supplier selling fake Bevacizumab injectables (under the brand name Avastin) to oncology practices. Later, press reports mention that the manufacturer tested some of the vials, and the fake product contained salt, starch and other chemicals including citrate, isopropanol, propandiol, t-butanol, benzoic acid, di-fluorinated benzene, acetone and phthalate moiety but none of the active ingredient.

This event has highlighted the need for healthcare professionals of all types, not just pharmacists, to be aware of proper procedures for safely sourcing medication for patients. We encourage all healthcare professionals to look at material published by Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM), a group of over non-profit groups that have policies and procedures in place to prevent counterfeit medicines from reaching patients.

They have published resources to help healthcare professionals learn about and adopt better medication sourcing practices. You can find them at PSM’s website:

• For nurses
• For physicians
• For pharmacists

Sproxil’s MPA Product Verification Solution on IBM’s Global Solutions Directory

We are pleased to announce that our Mobile Product Authentication (MPA) Solution has been approved and is now on IBM’s Global Solutions Directory, an online directory containing thousands of applications, tools and services from IBM and IBM Business Partners.
As a Business Partner with IBM, Sproxil has been equipped with access to software and resources that have provided immense benefit and support to the company. Now, with our MPA solution showcased in IBM’s Global Solutions Directory, Sproxil is excited to welcome new opportunities from such positive visibility.

For more information on IBM’s Global Solutions Directory, visit their website. To view Sproxil’s solution on the Directory, visit our MPA Solution webpage.

BCtA publishes a case study on Sproxil

We are happy to announce that the Business Call to Action (BCtA) has recently published a case study on Sproxil.
Our company joined BCtA with a commitment to mobilize US$4 million to expand efforts to empower patients and consumers in the fight against counterfeit medication in India and Kenya.

To learn more about Sproxil’s efforts at combating counterfeit drugs and promoting improved health care outcomes in key markets, you can download the case study HERE.

The Danger of Substandard Drugs in Pakistan

In Pakistan, counterfeit cardiac medication dispensed by the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) led to hundreds of casualties and over a hundred deaths. As of today, the death toll reached 121 people. An estimated 50,000 patients have been issued the medicine, threatening an exponential increase in inpatient influx for Pakistani hospitals, who have already been overwhelmed by the number of patients and families reporting ailments the past month.
According to multiple reports, the deaths were due to metallic poisoning from excessive amounts of mercury, arsenic, cadmium, or beryllium. About 10 grams of metal is harmful to the body, and although the counterfeit medicines were about 5mg, consistent, daily use for months will eventually lead to poisoning from chronic intake. The substandard drugs were manufactured from at least three pharmaceutical companies, who allegedly purchased their raw materials from unlicensed chemical sellers.

Despite efforts by the government of Punjab and urging of citizens to take greater action, the sources of the counterfeit materials purchased by the drug manufacturers could not be pinpointed.

In light of this tragedy, many have criticized PIC’s inability to control the quality of medication dispensed, but others have blamed the Punjab government for not maintaining its responsibility of checking the quality and authenticity of products and materials imported into Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the government has placed blame upon the PIC, DTL (drug testing laboratory), and provincial and district health departments for failing to properly oversee the quality of products coming into Pakistan’s provinces. In a bold move, the government suspended senior medical staff and doctors of the PIC for their alleged involvement in the scam. The suspensions were met with strikes threatened by younger doctors and medical staff who believe that the PIC should not be blamed for the shortcomings of the government (update: strike postponed).

Eight different teams are investigating incidents relating to the substandard drugs, while three pharmaceutical companies (headquartered in Karachi) linked to the deaths of at least 25 people have been closed down.

A recent development found that Mega Pharmaceuticals, one of the pharmaceutical companies allegedly involved in this scam, has also been manufacturing and packaging two different drugs under one label.

Drug Anti-Counterfeiting Technology Reaches 1 Million Uses

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact:
Jennifer Viera
pr@sproxil.com

Consumers Use Sproxil’s MPA™ Solution to Determine Drug Safety More Than 1 Million Times in Battle Against Counterfeit Drugs
– User Base Expected to Grow in Response to Nigeria’s Malaria Epidemic and India’s New Directorate General of Foreign Trade Guidelines –

Cambridge, MA, January 25, 2012 – Sproxil, a leading provider of world-class brand protection for emerging markets, announced today that consumers within regions of Africa have used its Mobile Product Authentication™(MPA) technology more than one million times to verify their medication. Leading pharmaceutical companies and regulatory organizations in these regions have been leveraging Sproxil’s MPA solution since the company launched to protect consumers from taking potentially harmful counterfeit and substandard drugs.

“Knowing that consumers have used our technology more than one million times to validate their medication demonstrates both the simplicity of our solution, as well as the immense demand for it. Consumers no longer judge the authenticity of their product by its appearance; they verify it,” states Dr. Ashifi Gogo, Chief Executive Officer of Sproxil. He adds, “With support from regulatory authorities such as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Nigeria and the Pharmacy and Poisons Board in Kenya, Sproxil has grown significantly in a short period.”

Sproxil’s MPA solution is user friendly as is evidenced by its accelerated adoption. Upon purchasing medication, consumers scratch a label which reveals a one-time use code. They then text the code to a secure number provided on the package. As part of Sproxil’s MPA technology, the text message is processed to determine the drug’s genuineness. Within seconds, Sproxil notifies the end user, via text, of the result. Alternatively, consumers can call Sproxil’s consumer support desk to get results in their local language.

According to Director General of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii, NAFDAC’s use of Sproxil’s solution “puts the power of detection of counterfeits in the hands of millions of Nigerian consumers, thereby enlisting them in the war against counterfeiting.”
Demand for Sproxil’s MPA technology has grown despite the recent turmoil in Nigeria. Even in the wake of strikes in Nigeria, consumers remain concerned about receiving genuine medication and have still sent thousands of text messages to the company daily for drug verification. Not only is Sproxil’s technology being used despite this crisis, the need for it is only expected to intensify, as the presence of counterfeit and substandard drugs meant to control malaria is threatening millions of lives in Africa. Additionally, in India the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) recently issued new guidelines for importing and exporting goods. Implementing India’s new policies could be simplified by using a technology such as Sproxil’s MPA.

About Sproxil
Sproxil is a venture-backed, social enterprise that provides world-class brand protection services in emerging markets. Through the company’s Mobile Product Authentication™ (MPA) solution, brand owners can connect with their customers in a way not previously achieved, by helping to ensure the goods they purchase are not stolen or counterfeit. Sproxil’s patent-pending product verification service allows individuals to text message a single-use item-specific code found on products using MPA technology, and receive a rapid response confirming the product’s genuineness or alerting the consumer to report incidents of suspicious activity to the brand owner. Sproxil’s solution is compatible with any tangible item, and it is already widely used by leading pharmaceutical companies to curb the multi-billion dollar counterfeit drug industry. Recognized as innovative and instrumental in the battle against counterfeiting, Sproxil has won the IBM SmartCamp Boston Award and the 2009 Clinton Global Initiative Outstanding Commitment Award, as well as received regulatory endorsements from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control in Nigeria and the Pharmacy and Poisons Board in Kenya. The company is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States and continues to expand its presence in multiple countries across Asia and Africa. For more information, please visit www.sproxil.com.

African Diaspora Marketplace II Grant Submission Deadline FEB 3rd!

The African Diaspora Marketplace (ADM) II is a partnership between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Western Union to encourage sustainable economic growth and employment by supporting African Diaspora (members are those individuals of African origin who are residents or citizens of the U.S.) entrepreneurs to establish innovative businesses in Africa by providing grants of up to USD 50,000 to 15-30 businesses.
ADM II will focus on providing grants to entrepreneurs who have high-impact ideas in sectors such as agri-business, renewable energy, and information and communication technology (ICT).

As winners of the ADM 2010 grant, Sproxil is proud to promote and encourage all African Diaspora entrepreneurs to submit an application. The grant has provided Sproxil with the financial means to continue working to provide pharmaceutical product protection in Africa, where prevalence of potentially harmful, counterfeit drugs is threatening the lives and well-beings of its citizens.

Some of the eligibility requirements are:

Your business must focus on the any of the following countries: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Cote D’Ivoire, DRC, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Zambia.
Your business must have a partnership established with a local African entitiy
Your business must be legally registered in the African country of your focus.
Businesses must focus on the following sectors: Information & Communication Technology (ICT), Agribusiness, and Renewable Energy.

Interested? To read more information on eligibility, see ADM II’s eligibility criteria.

To apply, fill out an application.

Remember, the submissions deadline is FEBRUARY 3rd, 2012, 5PM EST.

Sproxil to attend PASS 2012

Sproxil is excited to announce that we will be attending the Product Authentication + Security Summit (PASS) China in Shanghai, China, from February 29 to March 2, 2012.
It be a great opportunity to network with folks from various industries – such as brand owners, law enforcement agencies, investigators, government agencies, attorneys, consumer groups, and tech companies – who have come for the purpose of learning the techniques, strategies, and technologies to combat product counterfeiting. This year’s PASS event covers prevention, detection, and control of counterfeiting, illicit diversion, organized cargo theft, warranty fraud, and opportunistic supply chain theft.

We are excited to give you a sneak peak of what to expect:
Topics to be covered at PASS include:

Certification for Authentication in China
Setting Up Cross Border Partnerships
Chinese Government Policies and Strategies to Combat Counterfeitin
Integrated Holistic Security
The Role of DCTA (Digital Coding & Tracking Association)
Protecting Products on the Internet
ACTA, Standards, Public Awareness Campaigns
Supplier Awareness
Securing the Physical with the Digital, and Protecting Consumers.

Some attendees include professionals from:

CTAAC
General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine (China)
RA Consultants Ltd.
Crop Life International
British American Tobacco
National Crime Prevention Council
Intel
US Product Safety Commission
Johnson & Johnson
Sproxil
and many others.

We are excited to send a member of our team to be a part of this exciting and information event, and we look forward to seeing you there! To register, click here.

The Holiday Season Brings The Threat of Counterfeits Closer to Consumers

This 2011 Holiday season was abuzz with Christmas-inspired sales, both in brick & mortar stores and in the online world. Drawn by its convenience and ease, shoppers flocked to the internet to seek the best bargains for presents for their loved ones. Unfortunately, as we have seen with rogue online pharmacies, the internet is not immune to counterfeiters.
Seeking to leverage the potential for increased profits from the holiday season, counterfeiters no longer targeted expensive goods like handbags and DVDs, but moved to less expensive goods such as Christmas lights, toys, sports jerseys, and even batteries.

Counterfeit products such as toys for children are potentially dangerous, as the source of the materials is generally unknown and may consist of substandard and/or hazardous parts. Even worse, counterfeit items such as Christmas lights and batteries, which tend to be made from substandard fuses or bad wires, can be a potential fire hazard or otherwise harmful to the consumer.

Another recently counterfeited product, alcohol, is quite a favorite for counterfeiters this season. Fake vodka has been found in unlicensed shops and small businesses across the UK. The fake spirits range from containing ingredients such as those found in antifreeze, lethal doses of methanol (the key ingredient in alcohol), and even chloroform – all 100% illegal and lethal.

Fortunately, there are a few ways to detect if a product is fake (this list is NOT complete):

– Unusual or uneven coloring of products (something that can be much easily spotted in children’s toys such as Angry Birds or Pokemon)
– Poor handiwork (poor stitching on jeans)
– Poorly printed labels
– Spelling and grammatical errors on labels
– For alcohol – bottles on the shelf not all filled to the same level
– For alcohol – an odd smell (like nail polish remover)

Online C2C (consumer to consumer) companies such as eBay and Taobao are vigilantly working against eliminating the presence of counterfeits on their site, but also encourage consumers to be smart when shopping online. For example, eBay has created a space on their website that allows consumers to give reviews for products and sellers and share their expertise on specific products through ‘guides.’ This eBay guide, created by a registered user, is a great example of how consumers, empowered with the ability to share information through a trusted site, will help others avoid purchasing a fake Coach bag: “How to spot a fake COACH bag.”

For those still unsure of the genuineness of a product, a simple online search of the genuine product and any article on how to spot a fake of that product is always helpful.

Remember: Products at risk for counterfeiting are not exclusive to designer handbags or prescription medicines, but for any product sold in stores or online. Counterfeiters are elusive and keen, understand trends, and take advantage of opportunities for profit – there is no discrimination. This holiday season has proved that there are always people seeking to make a profit by any means necessary – even if it is harmful to others.

Thank you to all of our readers for a wonderful 2011. We are looking forward to an amazing 2012! Stay safe, healthy, and happy.

NAFDAC Partners with Airtel on MAS

Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drugs Administrations and Control (NAFDAC) and Airtel Networks Limited (a telecommunication company in Nigeria) have partnered to provide affordable rates for SMS (mobile text messaging) services in order to facilitate greater adoption of Mobile Authentication Services (MAS). The partnership was cemented by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed by both parties, to utilize MAS to fight counterfeit products.
NAFDAC has been working closely with telecommunication companies to gain support for the MAS solution, and Airtel Networks Limited’s willingness to collaborate is a major stepping stone toward alleviating the counterfeit drug problem.

An MAS such as Sproxil’s MPA solution (TM) leverages lottery-style scratch off labels and mobile phones to provide consumers a way to validate their pharmaceutical products right after purchase. By validating the authenticity of their medicines, consumers are able to safely avoid potentially harmful counterfeits.

Important pharmaceutical products like anti-malarials are a favorite for counterfeiters to replicate, which makes the need for verification crucial. Fortunately, this consumer-driven verification solution proved to be so successful in warding consumers away from fakes that NAFDAC Director-General Dr. Paul Orhii launched an initiative to ensure that all anti-malarials are protected with an MAS by January 2012. This initiative is now being promoted by Airtel Networks Limited through this new partnership.

Sproxil fully supports and applauds both NAFDAC and Airtel’s dedication toward the well-being of Nigerians and the pursuit against counterfeiting.

Summing up mHealth Summit 2011

Sproxil was lucky enough to be able to send TWO folks to this year’s mHealth Summit 2011 at Gaylord Convention Center (National Harbor, MD) from December 5^th to December 7^th.
From 8am on Monday morning until its end, the Summit was buzzing with people talking about amazing ideas and initiatives, networking with like-minded professionals, and enjoying the many stands that graced the convention’s exhibit halls from Monday to Wednesday. Additionally, FNIH and partners mHealth Alliance, mHIMSS, and NIH organized dozens of great sessions for attendees to go to learn and interact with the men and women in the healthcare sector.

Dr. Ashifi Gogo, CEO of Sproxil and conference veteran, attended and sat on the Tuesday (Dec 6^th) 11:15am panel called “The Impact of Mobile on the Pharmaceutical Industry: Supply Chain to Compliance.” It was an exciting session, to say the least, and it shed a lot of light on the much-underestimated problem of counterfeit drugs.

As a first-timer, I was overwhelmed by the wealth of knowledge presented before me. Every minute was an opportunity to learn, react, and interact!

The ideas presented during the conference focused on both the developed and developing world, and on utilizing both smartphone web-based applications and SMS messaging to foster greater communication between patients and their healthcare providers, and empower the consumer through increased medical knowledge.

I spent the late afternoons-early evenings hovering over Sproxil’s two posters, answering questions from passers-by and teaching others about the problem of counterfeits in the healthcare sector. The posters were entitled “Getting Beyond the Pilot” (by CFO Alden Zecha), and “Fighting Against Counterfeit Drugs with Sproxil” (by Alison Martin).

“Getting Beyond the Pilot” spoke to the mHealth problem of pilotitis. Pilotitis is a ‘disease’ that hinders mHealth campaigns from going beyond its pilot phase due to its inability to endure and justify its costs versus benefits in the long term. There is a plethora of great ideas that seek to provide positive change in aspects of healthcare – from finding a way to facilitate greater communication to encouraging others to learn about serious and prevalent diseases – but sometimes, these great ideas don’t last. They don’t have the sustainability or scalability to last very long and provide benefits that justify its means. Sproxil’s business model succeeded through its pilot stage through five design factors used to increase probability of success: (1) serve all the stakeholders involved, (2) design your campaign for usability, (3) be location independent, (4) charge for value, and (5) design for adaptability. Through these 5 design factors, Sproxil has been able to launch operations in 5 countries in less than five years, and has provided protection for over 750,000 unique users.

“Fighting Against Counterfeit Drugs with Sproxil” sought to highlight the counterfeit problem and how Sproxil is working against it through our mobile solution. The benefits of our solution are to empower the consumer, protect the pharmaceutical company’s brand name, and reduce counterfeiting, just to name a few (of many).

Both Dr. Gogo and I ended our trip on a positive note – bags heavy with business cards, brochures, and flyers, and minds full of inspiring ideas and innovations that will definitely prove to change the mobile health world for the better.