How to combat fraud: Biofem is fighting with all might against counterfeit drugs

Counterfeit drugs don’t just cost revenue for pharmaceutical companies, they also cost lives. The main risk is contamination, but counterfeits also lack sufficient potency to be effective. In a region where resources are already scarce, combating fraud required an efficient and easily distributed solution, powered by mobile and analytics.

Biofem, one of Nigeria’s largest drug distributors, depends on a system that uses SMS codes to verify that each shipment is legitimate, as confirmed directly with the manufacturer. In addition, the resulting data stream can be viewed and analyzed using IBM software, offering a “top-down” view and making it easier to spot patterns for specific products in specific countries.

"The simplicity of the solution enabled us to implement it on over 1 million packages, representing 25 million customers, in less than three months. This rapid response improved our customers’ safety and helped us prevent lost sales", says Femi Soremekun, Managing Director at Biofem Pharmaceuticals Ltd.