Ahura scanners bound for Nigerian drugs regulator

Nigeria will shortly take delivery of several handheld scanners that will be used by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit medicines.

"In principle, using these scanners it will be possible for customs agents to differentiate between counterfeit and genuine products," said Roger Bate, a specialist in medicines counterfeiting who works at the American Enterprise Institute.

"At the moment customs officers rely very heavily on tip-offs and also analysis of labelling," said Bate. Training in the use of the devices will take place in the coming weeks.

The scanners are all the TruScan system developed by US company Ahura Scientific.

While studies looking at the rate of counterfeiting in national supply chains are few, research has indicated that where handheld scanners are used failure rates are higher, added Bate.