GREENLIFE USE ANTI-COUNTERFEITING TECHNOLOGY TO SPREAD MALARIA INFORMATION

By NBF News

Nigerian pharmaceutical firm, Greenlife Pharmaceutical Limited has hailed the Mobile Authentication Service (MAS), saying it has helped it lift its flagship product above counterfeiters since it was adopted. As a way of making the best of the services, the company has also informed that the public could get health information about malaria and the products from additional information provided in the confirmation Short Messages.

The company's Chairman, Dr. Obiora  Chukwuka, said,   it is in  a  bid  to  protect  their  brand  and  safeguard  the  health  of  its  numerous  consumers  of  its  flag-ship  antimalarial  brand  LONART  DS,   Greenlife  Pharmaceuticals  Ltd  a  leading  pharmaceutical  company  last  September  signed  on  to  the  drug  anti-counterfeiting  solution  called  Mobile  Authentication  Service (MAS).  The  technology  enables  the  consumer  to  authenticate  the  originality   of  the  drug  in  his/her  hand  at  the  point  of  purchase. A  scratch  card  is  attached  to  the  inner  pack  of  the  drug.  By  simply  scratching  the  panel  a  unique  set  of  numbers  can  be  seen.  The  consumer  sends  these  numbers  to  a  short  code  38353, instantly  he/she  receives  an  SMS  confirming  the  authenticity  or  otherwise  of  the  Lonart  DS  drug  in  his/her  hand.

This  service  was  initially  introduced  into  the  country  by  a  strategic  partnership  between  NAFDAC  and  an  American  based  ICT  company  called  Sproxil  Inc.,  in  a bid  to  tackle  the  menace  of  counterfeit  medicines.

'With  NAFDAC's  latest  directive  that  all  registered  ACTs  in  the  country  must  sign  on  to  the  MAS  portal,  medicine consumers  will  benefit  from  Greenlife's  early  initiative  as  they  are  rest  assured  of  authenticity  when  using  our  ACT  brand ,  Lonart  DS,' Chukwuka said.

Meanwhile, Chukwuka has advised  consumers    to  always  scratch  and  confirm  the  authenticity  of   the  Lonart  DS  in  their  hands  at  the  point  of  purchase,  beyond  protecting  their  health  and  that  of  their  loved  ones  the  cost  of  sending  the  SMS  is  pro  bono  as  the  company  being  a  good  corporate  citizen  has  already  defrayed  the  cost.

He said  the  consumer  may  also  access  health  tips  about  malaria  and  the  brand  through  the  numbers  displayed  in  the  SMS, noting, however, that the SMS are free but that the calls attract regular charges.