Belgian authentication system cost effective, says study

Phil Taylor

24-Sep-2009

Aegate validation The drug authentication system currently operating in Belgian pharmacies is an effective and cost-effective means of preventing counterfeits reaching patients, according to a recently-completed study.

The economic model made use of data generated during a 'mystery shopper' audit which gauged the reliability of the system in uncovering medicines that should not be dispensed to patients, e.g. because they are counterfeit, recalled or expired stock.

The Belgian system was provided by Aegate and is based on the addition of a serialised number to medicines on manufacture or import with an authentication step at the point of dispensing in the pharmacy. It is being used in around 52 per cent of Belgian pharmacies at present, has also been deployed in Greece and is currently rolling out in Italy.

The study found that in a typical European country with 10,000 pharmacists, the investment in setting up the system would become cost-neutral when a small number of products - less than half of one per cent per annum (0.47 per cent) - are identified by the pharmacist as recalled, expired or suspicious.

It also found that authentication was 100 per cent reliable over more than 220,000 scans. Overall, 96 per cent of the scanned products were authentic and suitable for dispensing, while the system uncovered recalled products (0.74 per cent of the sample), suspected recalled products (3 per cent) and expired medicines (0.13 per cent).

"No suspicious products were identified [and] similar results were observed in Greece," said the author of the study, Steven Simoens of the Research Centre for Pharmaceutical Care and Pharmaco-economics at the Katholieke Universiteit in Leuven, Belgium. The study was commissioned by Aegate.

"The modelling shows a potential for health providers to recoup the costs of implementation through healthcare savings with net gains of up to €28m over a five-year period being observed," said Aegate in a statement.

Related articles:

Aegate adds traceability to its portfolio

Counterfeit drugs need 'decisive and global action'

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