Quality you can trust: how the industry is fighting falsified medicines, and Pharma Asia’s part
WHO estimates at least 1 in 10 medicines in low- and middle-income countries is substandard or falsified. Barcodes, GMP and dialogue are the response.
In this article
For a patient, the most important fact about a medicine is that it is genuine and made properly. That is where industry welfare and public welfare meet.
The size of the problem
The World Health Organization estimates that at least 1 in 10 medical products in low- and middle-income countries is substandard or falsified, and that countries spend an estimated US$30.5 billion a year on them. Such products can cause treatment failure and serious harm. WHO points to strong regulation and to track-and-trace systems, alongside international cooperation, as ways to detect and prevent them.
Pakistan’s response
In October 2026, DRAP made 2D Data Matrix barcodes and serial numbers mandatory on registered medicines made or imported from 9 October 2026, as the first phase of its Pharmaceutical Track and Trace System. The stated aim is to stop spurious, falsified and unregistered medicines and to make recalls easier. Details are in our explainer.
Where Pharma Asia comes in
- Dialogue before deadlines: the 2025 International Pharma Convention held a panel on implementing 2D barcoding and track and trace, with speakers from DRAP, GS1 Pakistan and manufacturers, and a full session on the pathway to PIC/S compliance.
- Solutions on the floor: GS1 Pakistan, the barcode standards body, is on the 2026 exhibitor list in Hall 6, alongside label printers, packaging makers and machinery suppliers who can help plants comply.
- Quality systems: laboratory, QC and cleanroom suppliers — concentrated in Halls 4, 5 and 6 — help plants meet the GMP standards that keep substandard products off the market.
Why it matters
A stronger, well-equipped industry is the best protection patients have. Helping manufacturers find the tools to meet higher standards is part of what an industry exhibition can do for public health.
Meet these suppliers at Pharma Asia 2026.
