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.
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.
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.
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:
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 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:
Some attendees include professionals from:
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 recent three-day recent Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition showcased promise and opportunities for emerging companies across the technology, medical device, manufacturing, and life sciences fields to name a few. Several of these companies will likely go beyond just being profitable and will impact our lives in the future. With a keynote speech by Michigan Governor-elect, Rick Snyder the event fostered innovation and Sproxil is very pleased to have been selected as the People’s Choice. Thanks to the people of Michigan for hosting this wonderful competition.
Al Jazeera reports from Nairobi that fake drugs are big business in Kenya and interview a patient that was harmed by them. They state that there are 44 registered drug companies in Kenya and more than 11,000 illegal products are sold every day.
After a fantastic week in Ireland, we are glad to announce that we received one of the two honorable mentions at IBM’s Global SmartCamp finals. IBM’s corporate strategy to identify startups that are making the planet smarter is rather inspiring, shedding light on some problems largely unknown being solved with intelligent, instrumented and interconnected systems.
In a smarter planet:
And lastly, you’ll be smarter than a counterfeiter. [Sproxil]
Congratulations to Streetline (global winners) and all the regional winners for making this world smarter. Everyone benefits on a smarter planet.
NAFDAC continues to pioneer the use of technology to fight counterfeiting in resource constrained environments. FiercePharma recently noted an interesting comparison between online and offline authentication technologies, comparing RFID and Sproxil’s MPA technology. Take a look at the brief article here.
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