E-drug: Universal code for drugs (cont'd)
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Dear E-druggers,
I have been involved with a company who is trying to solve the
problem in the US that a doctor's prescription does not always go
to those for whom it is intended. That maybe is a major problem for
the US. However, in my opinion it may be a much bigger problem
that one cannot always be sure whether a drug that is bought at a
pharmacy somewhere in the world is really the drug that the
package says it is. This problem is probably even getting bigger in
the future. Those countries who have computerized pharmacies
with EAN bar code readers for cashing in the price at the counter
etc are likely to solve this problem. The solution is actually very
simple, every sheet or vial of drugs gets its own specific bar code.
This should be checked at the pharmacy, and when found that this
code is valid, then the code after this check gets invalid, so that no
other sheet of drugs or vial can ever use the same code. This can
be done online in the countries where it is applicable. To my opinion
this is the only method to distinguish drugs that are being sold as
counterfeit over the pharmacy desk.
Sincerely,
Bernhard Edgren
General practitioner, Finland
e-mail: bernhard.edgren@pp.inet.fi
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