AZE.US
Concerns over the quality of medicines sold in pharmacies have grown in Azerbaijan in recent years, with some customers saying that drugs they previously relied on no longer seem to produce the same effect.
Medical expert Adil Geybulla says the problem is difficult for ordinary buyers to detect at first glance. In some cases, he said, medicines that do not meet required standards may enter pharmacy networks through unofficial channels, bypassing normal controls.
According to Geybulla, some counterfeit or substandard medicines may contain a reduced amount of the active ingredient. That can make the product cheaper for those selling it, but less effective for the patient.
The question for customers is whether they can check a medicine themselves before using it.
Azerbaijan’s Analytical Expertise Center says the country has a tracking and tracing system for medicines. The system is designed to monitor a drug’s movement from production or import to pharmacies, medical institutions and final consumers.
Each medicine is assigned a unique code, allowing its movement through the supply chain to be recorded step by step. The goal is to prevent counterfeit medicines from entering circulation, increase transparency in the pharmaceutical market and protect public health.
For consumers, the key tool will be a mobile application expected to be launched in the near future. Through the app, customers will be able to scan the DataMatrix code printed on the medicine package and see basic information about the drug.
The system should allow users to check whether the medicine is genuine, view its movement history and confirm that it reached the pharmacy through the official supply chain.
Officials say the app will not require any special technical knowledge. A customer will only need to scan the code on the package.
Until such tools are fully available, buyers should be cautious: purchase medicines only from licensed pharmacies, keep the receipt, check the expiration date, inspect the packaging and make sure the instruction leaflet is included. But experts warn that counterfeit or substandard medicines cannot always be identified by appearance alone, which is why digital tracking has become increasingly important.
AZE.US