The GoI will soon deploy bar codes or fast response codes to track bogus medications. There have been conversations about use technology to counter this issue going back more than ten years. The government of India was initially urged to investigate the practicality of utilising technology to track counterfeit medications by the Allahabad High Court in 2011. The pharmaceutical industry was wary of increased costs, so a committee set up by the health ministry drew up a plan for gradually implementing barcode tracking a year later. Since then, technological costs have dropped significantly, making this idea practical. In this domain, there are two different types of obstacles. The Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics Act addresses falsified drugs, which are an intentional attempt at fraud, in great detail. Substandard medications that are produced by a licenced company but lack potency because manufacturing procedures are subpar present a larger issue. To overcome these challenges, India's enforcement system is split between the Center and the States. As they collectively review more drug samples, the states' prior performance gives them a sense of the extent of the problem. Up to March 2021, states tested between 77,000 and 85,000 drug sample per year during a five-year period. The samples contained between 3 and 4% of substandard medications and 0.1% to 0.3% of fake drugs. Anecdotal data indicates that high-value medications are typically the ones that fall into the bogus category. Quick verification provided by QR codes should serve as a deterrent to fake pharmaceuticals. The strength and capabilities of inspection teams must be improved at all levels of government, however, due to the greater issue of defective pharmaceuticals.

Reference: - https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/healthcare/biotech/pharmaceuticals/qr-codes-could-be-used-to-check-if-medicines-are-fake/articleshow/94612890.cms?from=mdr