Sproxil Inc. offers proof of concept for patient communication in drug authentication

As brand protection technology vendors are figuring out how pharma companies can authenticate products and connect with customers through educational or promotional messaging at the same time, Sproxil Inc. (Somerville, MA) proves that it can be done.

With its Mobile Product Authentication (MPA) solution, which it calls “crowd-sourced pharmacovigilance,” Sproxil enables patients to text message an item-unique code found on drug packaging for rapid authentication. In addition to getting the green light on the product, patients receive a text message back from the drug company, which Sproxil says can be customized with disease management tips or ads that target specific demographics.

Other companies are working on drug authentication solutions that allow customer connectivity. Earlier this year, Covectra (Southborough, MA) told Pharmaceutical Commerce that it was implementing its Brand Loyalty and Integrity Service (BLIS) based on AuthentiTrack; Catalent Pharma Solutions (Somerset, NJ) said it was working with DigiMarc Corp. (Beaverton, OR) on “media-enhanced packaging” for use with a smartphone.

Sproxil’s solution is currently being tested in Nigeria, where scratch cards that contain item-unique codes attached to medication packaging are used for authentication.

Sproxil recently was named a finalist in the MITX Technology Awards, which recognize technology advancements made in New England.

“Sproxil is honored to be recognized for our simple, easy-to-use and comprehensive anti-counterfeiting strategy, which can be used anywhere mobile phones exist,” says Sproxil CEO Ashifi Gogo.