India is fighting to protect its image as a supplier of high quality drugs to the world. Beginning next month, barcodes will become a mandatory packaging element for drugs leaving the country.

Indian officials focused on developing a track/trace system after fake medicines labeled "Made in India" appeared in Africa. The fakes that appeared in Nigeria were traced to China, reports The Hindu Business Line.

The new barcode requirement affects the outer-most packaging used in drug shipping. Barcoding on secondary packaging (cartons) and primary medicine strips and bottles is already in place.

Although the barcodes can aid tracking, the Indian implementation falls short of a true track/trace system. Some critics maintain medicines with manufacturer-applied barcodes have little value if the importing countries are not part of the system with both sides having access to the data, according to the article.

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