African program to use cell phones for authentication

The mPedigree program aims to shore up the drug supply chain in sub-Saharan Africa in ten years.

The supply chain protection systems will use GSM mobile communications for authentication, providing reach as well as economy, reports the blog Jump into Tomorrow.

Unit-level serialization of drug products will allow end-user participation. Consumers will be able to verify drug products at the retail location by scratching off a panel to find a code and send it via GSM text message. "Within five seconds, a reply is sent back to the purchaser's phone indicating whether the submitted code is genuine," the blog says.

- visit the blog
- see the mPedigree site