Pharmaceutical companies have been concentrating their mHealth efforts into apps for patient outreach and education, along with some initiatives like Sproxil (drug verification in Nigeria, partnering with local distributor Biofem Pharmaceuticals for Merck Sante’s Glucophage; see additional information in Comments) and Proteus’ ‘smart pills’ with Novartis. This WorldPharmaNews article delves into the research2guidance Mobile Health Market Report (yours for only EUR1890!) and comes up with advice for pharma companies: reach, differentiation, cost savings, physician relations and revenue opportunities. This is the same study that offers up that hospitals, physicians and healthcare websites will be the #1-#3 distributors of healthcare apps by 2015. Ed. Donna gives this one the gimlet eye, but you be the judge.
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Check Your Facts
Sproxil partners with Biofem not Merck Sante! Check your facts. Why are you crediting it to a foreign company? Biofem pays for this service not Merck who has nothing to do with even applying the labels.
Biofem and Sproxil
Mr./Ms. Elumelu adds an excellent point that produces an important clarification and additional valuable background for our readers on how Sproxil is working with local entities in Nigeria.
Biofem Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is a Nigerian pharmaceutical company that imports and distributes pharmaceuticals from numerous well-known companies, including Merck Sante. Biofem uses Sproxil’s technology partnering with the Nigerian drug agency NAFDAC; their website presents the MAS (Mobile Authentication System) program with this photo of Glucophage (from Merck Sante) with the Sproxil scratch card affixed to the back of the blister pack. (More photos on the launch of the National Anti-Counterfeiting Service here). It is very clear from the information here that Biofem is executing the Sproxil program (which Sproxil calls Mobile Product Authentication–MPA.)
In my recent interview at Mobile Health Expo with Alden Zecha, Sproxil’s CFO and Strategist, he referred to Merck Sante, Glucophage, their distributor and NAFDAC. We extensively discussed the key activities in enforcement, systems and education that the local distributor and NAFDAC were taking to make the program work on every level right to pharmacy and consumer in Nigeria. Thanks to Mr./Ms. Elumelu, Biofem as the distributor is now identified. (For more–see the seven page NAFDAC document on the Biofem website.) Any further information is greatly appreciated!