mPedigree enables patients to determine the legitimacy of their medicine by sending a code from the package to a designated number via a free SMS.

mPedigree’s pharmaceutical verification system, called GoldKeys, protects consumers as well as legal drug manufacturers against counterfeit medicine, by labeling authentic medicine with unique codes that can be verified via SMS. The system works by scratching off a panel on the medicine package to reveal a code. The customer then sends the code via SMS to a secure global hotline for verification. A response is sent back within seconds confirming or denying the authenticity of the medicine, as well as providing information about the product. According to the company, mPedigree has verified one billion units of medicine and protected more than 30 million people.

According to Interpol, counterfeit drugs represent about 30% of the market in some parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and fake tuberculosis and malaria drugs alone account for 700,000 annual deaths globally. mPedigree’s simple and innovative scratch-off and SMS system prevents these unnecessary deaths by protecting patients from harmful drugs, while also offering brand protection to pharmaceutical companies.