Lagos — National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in collaboration with an indigenous pharmaceutical company, BIOFEM, yesterday launched Mobile Anti-Counterfeit System (MAS) as part of measures to minimise incidence of drug faking in the country.

The new service which operates like the Global System Mobile (GSM) will enable consumers to have access to a designated customers' service unit to confirm whether the drug for sale is genuine or fake.

Just like the GSM, there is 12 digits number in a scratch card placed on each of the drug packages from the point of manufacture for the consumer to text through a short-code '38353' on the MTN, GLO and Zain networks.

By this new formula, consumer can right at the point of purchase of a drug confirm whether the drug in question is genuine or not by simply sending text from the scratch number on the drug through the code number and immediately a SMS response will be received indicating genuineness or otherwise of the drug.

Speaking at the launch of the new service, Director-General of NAFDAC Dr. Paul Orhii explained that the new concept which is the first of its kind throughout the world will assist in winning the war against counterfeiting of drug in Nigeria.

He noted that the idea of the new service came after series of meetings with stake holders in the country's drug manufacturing sector on how to move forward in the bid to fight the war against drug faking to a logical conclusion.

He said at one of the meetings, BIOFEM agreed to make one of its products available as 'guinea pig' for the pilot project and thus the company's diabetes drug, Glucophage was tested and serves as the first drug in the country that can be confirmed through the use of MAS verification for authenticity.

Orhii warned the public that the new service which is based on technology from a United States of America (USA) company, Sproxil Incorporated, whose Nigerian subsidiary have developed the solution with NAFDAC and BIOFEM is not available for all drugs in the country yet but assured with the success on the pilot drug, all other drugs will soon enjoy the same service.

The Director General said the service would be carried out with no extra cost to consumers and will still enable consumer to assist the agency to detect any pharmacy shop selling counterfeit drug, as such customer would only need to call the attention of NAFDAC to any shop where counterfeit drug is being sold if the response from SMS indicates that the drug is fake.