A study by the World Health organization stated that fake drugs compromise around 10% of the global medicine market of almost $40 billion. A report in Afghanistan suggests that almost 40% of medicines and medical products get to the country illegally majority of which are fake. This leads to prolonged illnesses, worse scenarios, or drug resistance in unsuspecting buyers who buy the fake drugs. Chekkit, a Nigerian health tech startup is trying to address this issue in collaboration with its partners.
After a successful pilot of Chekkit’s drug verification solution in collaboration with its blockchain partner, Fantom, and the Afghanistan Ministry of Health, the rollout of the solution was announced nationwide on Sunday, May 2, 2021, at an event attended by officials from the local government, Fantom Foundation, and the Afghanistan Ministry of Health.
The startup signed an MoU in 2020 with Fantom Foundation and the Afghanistan Ministry of Public Health to assist in battling the issue of fake drugs in the country with the aid of blockchain.
After the pilot, data gathered using Chekkit’s consumer intelligence solution showed that the public was keen to use the system and the manufacturers of the products were also able to gather valuable insights about those buying and using their products.
Users with internet-enabled mobile phones can scan the QR code and those that don’t have internet connections can make use of a pin code through a local phone number.
How the solution works
Fantom Tracker integrates Chekkit, the Nigerian-based Technology scanning, and verification tools with Fantom’s Opera blockchain. Super fast, Opera secures manufacturer and supply-chain data and communicates it to users and consumers scanning Chekkit’s tamper-proof labels.
Although the solution is dependent on technology, however, the public can use it easily. All a user needs to do is to remove the scratch-off sticker from the Chekkit label. It shows:
- A QR code to be scanned on a mobile phone that is internet enabled using the Chekkit app, and
- A pin code for users that do not have a phone connected to the internet. Users can access the same data available via the app by calling a local phone number and entering the code.
Whether through the internet phone or app, customers can get information about the authenticity of the product. Fantom smart technology notifies the manufacturer, retailer, and appropriate government agencies immediately a counterfeit is detected.
With the announcement, the system will be extended to the national level in Afghanistan to track around 210m products which include the high volume of critical medical supplies, and also made available for other countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Commenting on the successful outcome of the project, Dare Odumade, Founder and CEO, Chekkit Technologies, said: “This deal represents the progress we have made at Chekkit and also outlines our plans in ensuring the lives of millions around the globe are safeguarded using scalable and effective technology solutions.”
About Fantom Foundation
Fantom is a consensus-as-a-service (CaaS) platform for the next generation of distributed ledgers. Launched in 2018, the blockchain company is the world’s first DAG-based smart contract platform built on its Opera mainnet, to provide fast and secure consensus capable of powering a country’s entire healthcare system.
