Fake products have become a prevalent issue in India, with counterfeit drugs experiencing a surge in the market. This has created fear among consumers who hesitate to purchase drugs and pills due to the lack of proof regarding the product’s authenticity. To tackle this problem, the government has taken a significant step by making QR codes mandatory for 300 pharmaceutical brands in the country.

Starting from August 1, all medicines must have QR codes to enable consumers to verify the authenticity of the drug. This requirement applies to well-known medications such as Dolo, Calpol, Combiflam and Saridon and various antibiotics like Azithral, Ceftam, Meftel and Augmentin, as well as anti-allergy drugs like Allegra and thyroid medication such as Thyronorm.

QR codes store data that can be easily read by machines, smartphones or cameras, providing convenient access to information related to the product. The decision to implement QR codes will not only help in tracking and accessing data effortlessly but also in identifying counterfeit products. The codes will contain essential information, irrespective of the drug’s manufacturing place. This data will include the unique identification code, name and address of the manufacturer, proper and generic name of the drug, date of manufacturing, batch number, expiry date, and license number.

The draft notification for this decision was released in November 2022. According to the new regulations, drugs specified under Schedule H2 must print QR codes or affix barcodes on their primary packaging level. This requirement is applicable to all manufacturers, both domestic and international, who produce the enlisted 300 medicines. Additionally, companies have the option to include a barcode for their brand as well.

In March 2022, the Ministry of Health entrusted the Department of Pharmaceuticals with the task of shortlisting 300 drug brands. The selection was based on the Moving Annual Turnover (MAT) value of the companies. The MAT value represents the total sales figure of the product over a period of 12 months. As a result, popular brands such as Dolo, Calpol, Saridon, Limsey, Corex, Unwanted 72, Allegra and 300 other companies were chosen for this initiative.