In light of recent events involving counterfeit Botox, the looming threat of fake drugs presents a grave danger to public health. With the FDA sounding the alarm on unsafe Botox, with replica boxes surfacing across several states, it’s paramount to confront the broader issue of counterfeit pharmaceuticals head-on and seek innovative strategies to uphold medication safety.

By integrating these advanced technologies into drug packaging, we can establish a robust system for verifying medication authenticity throughout the supply chain. RFID/NFC-connected labels facilitate real-time tracking and authentication, empowering healthcare professionals and consumers to validate drug legitimacy before use.

One promising avenue lies in the widespread adoption of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Near Field Communication (NFC)-based validated, connected labels for pharmaceuticals. By integrating these advanced technologies into drug packaging, we can establish a robust system for verifying medication authenticity throughout the supply chain. RFID/NFC-connected labels facilitate real-time tracking and authentication, empowering healthcare professionals and consumers to validate drug legitimacy before use.

Swaminathan “Swami” Subramanian is the director of business development at the Axia Institute, where he cultivates corporate partnerships and supports research efforts, innovation, and the growth of the institute’s research portfolio. Swami is leading the Patient-Centric Drug Information Distribution Program with drug manufacturers, distributors, pharmacies, and solution providers and can be reached at sswami@msu.edu.