A SMARTPHONE APP to Ensure Your Medication Serial Numbers are Authentic
Smartphones can do just about anything these days - from tracking your sleep, to controlling your electricity and streaming television. Now, thanks to an app developed by EMD Serono, Inc., the North America biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, smartphones can also give patients the ability to verify the authenticity of the serial number on all EMD Serono medications by scanning the two dimensional barcode on the package.
"Although our company's exposure to counterfeiting in the U.S. has been limited, we are constantly evaluating all of the ways we can best serve patients, and our app is one tool that puts the power to help verify the serial numbers on the packages of EMD Serono medications in their hands," says Kimberly Fleming, associate director, Product Security & Outbound Logistics. "We believe that EMD Serono is one of the first health care companies in the U.S. to serialize all products in advance of requirements set forth by the Drug Supply Chain Security Act."
People taking any of EMD Serono medications can download the free smartphone app, Check My Meds(TM), on Apple(R) or Android(TM) devices and scan the barcode on the product packaging to authenticate the medicine's serial number. The app will alert patients instantly to confirm the authenticity of the product serial number or refer the patient to an EMD Serono representative if they have any questions.
To address the issue of counterfeit medicines, which has been an increasing problem in industrialized countries such as the U.S., the FDA mandated that by November 2017, all drug companies will need to include a unique serial number on each package of drugs dispensed.
EMD Serono develops and offers therapies for specialty-care conditions, like multiple sclerosis and infertility, and has been a long-standing leader in patient safety and product integrity. The company has a long history of integrating cutting-edge science and innovative technology to develop products and drug delivery devices that meet the needs of patients living with difficult to treat diseases, as well as providing industry-leading educational and support programs.
For more information about product serialization or the Check My Meds(TM) app, visit www.emdserono.com/en/therapies/check_my_meds/check_my_meds.html.
