Hotlines set up to check for counterfeit medicines in India, Nigeria

NEW DELHI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Social enterprises in India and Nigeria have come up with text messaging services to help patients check that their medicines are safe and are not products of the counterfeit drugs industry which kills many thousands of people annually. From expensive pills used to treat life-threatening conditions like cancer to cheap painkillers, fake and poor quality drugs are entering the supply chain where unsuspecting customers risk their lives buying them over the counter or the Internet.