India's recent expansion of QR code tracking in the pharmaceutical sector aims to enhance the authenticity and transparency of life-saving medicines, now including a broader range of products like antimicrobials and anti-cancer drugs. This initiative is part of a "track-and-trace framework" designed to improve supply chain integrity.
The government's data indicates a significant increase in drug sample testing, with samples rising from 84,874 in 2020-21 to 116,323 in 2024-25. While the annual detection of Not of Standard Quality (NSQ) drugs has remained stable at around 3,000, the number of spurious drugs identified has decreased significantly, from 424 in 2022-23 to 245 in 2024-25. Concurrently, prosecutions for regulatory violations surged from 236 to 961 over the same period.
GS1 India, the body responsible for barcode and supply chain standards, supports the expanded QR code initiative, emphasizing its role in creating a globally interoperable identification system. S. Swaminathan, CEO of GS1 India, highlighted that this move is vital for aligning India’s pharmaceutical practices with international standards, thereby enhancing the trustworthiness of the supply chain.
Despite the benefits of QR code tracking, some industry experts stress the need for improved manufacturing processes to combat NSQ drugs effectively. Shashwat S. Tripathi, founder of an AI-driven pharmaceutical platform, advocates for a shift towards predictive manufacturing using AI. By analyzing production parameters, AI can help identify and address potential quality issues in real-time, moving the industry from reactive testing to proactive quality assurance.