An Australian software company has joined the fight against the deadly surge in the counterfeit medicines trade.
More than 120,000 people a year die in Africa as a result of fake anti-malarial drugs alone, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Bizcaps Software, based in Sydney, has partnered with IT company Authenticateit, to develop a smart-phone app that detects counterfeit drugs.
The free app lets buyers, clinicians and patients easily check each products' authenticity by scanning the barcodes to confirm it is genuine and safe before they complete their purchase or use the medication.
Bizcaps Software CEO Rob Clifton-Steele says this technology will provide everyone in the supply of medicines peace of mind, and will more importantly save lives.
"In healthcare, counterfeiting can have deadly consequences and it is imperative that healthcare manufacturers protect themselves and their customers," said Mr Clifton-Steele.
While counterfeit drugs may not seem like an issue that affects Australia, no country is immune to the global health threat, says Authenticateit CEO Gennady Volchek.
"Counterfeit medicines and healthcare products are a dangerous problem for the global healthcare community," Mr Volchek said.
Since global surveillance and monitoring began in 2013 , more than 920 sub-standard, spurious, falsely labelled, falsified or counterfeit medical products have been reported across the globe.
In June, the Indonesian government discovered fake vaccines had been given to many children for more than a decade.
The Indonesian Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) announced that police had uncovered a criminal syndicate involved in selling fake vaccines.
WHO warns there is no way of knowing how many are still undetected.
