QR Code Drug Tracking: How India Plans to Curb Fake Medicines

India is widening a track-and-trace system that puts a unique bar code or QR code on each pack of certain medicines, so that every single vial or blister strip can be followed from the factory to the chemist's shelf. A recent gazette notification has expanded the rule from a fixed list of 300 popular brands to whole therapeutic groups, marking a shift from regulating drugs by sales volume to regulating them by the risk they carry.

The codes are mandatory for medicines listed under Schedule H2 of the Drugs Rules, 1945. Each code stores a one-of-a-kind identification number along with the brand and generic name of the drug, the maker's name and address, the batch number, the dates of manufacture and expiry, and the manufacturing licence number. When a medicine is logged on a track-and-trace platform, that unique number cannot be registered again, which makes it far harder for counterfeiters to reuse genuine packaging or pass off fake products as real.

The system is being rolled out in stages for high-risk categories. Vaccines, narcotics, and anti-cancer drugs are to be covered by July 2027, while antimicrobials follow by July 2028. These groups have long been targets of counterfeit networks. Fake or substandard antimicrobials are especially dangerous because weaker-than-needed doses can push bacteria to become resistant, and India already records very high rates of antimicrobial resistance. Tracking expensive cancer medicines also matters, as there have been cases where used vials were refilled with cheaper substances and sold to vulnerable patients.

For ordinary buyers, the change is meant to add a layer of safety: a medicine's authenticity can be checked at different points in the supply chain, and faulty batches can be traced and recalled quickly. Officials say the framework will tighten regulatory oversight and help curb the spread of spurious drugs. It is also expected to lift the credibility of India's drug regulator, improving the maturity rating used by global health bodies and making Indian-made medicines easier to accept in overseas markets.

The framework still faces real hurdles. It will work only if a state-managed database lets pharmacists and regulators verify packs in real time, backed by compatible scanning software across states. Generating unique codes and logging products at every stage adds cost, which may strain small manufacturers making low-priced everyday pills, many of which are price-controlled. Building the habit of scanning and verifying medicines before a sale, and protecting sensitive data on controlled drugs, will decide how well the system actually performs.