Niti Aayog on Friday decided to start a partnership with Oracle, Apollo Hospitals and Strides Pharma Sciences to pilot a real drug supply chain using Blockchain decentralised ledger and IoT software.

The Indian pharmaceutical industry is said to be one of the largest in the world. However, fake drugs is a big problem in India for common people as well as the healthcare industry. An estimated 1 in 10 medical products in low-and-middle income countries is either substandard or falsified, according to a World Health Organisation (WHO).

“Falsified medical products are manufactured in many different countries and in all regions. Many countries and the media frequently report successful operations against manufacturers of substandard and falsified medical products. Some reports refer to large-scale manufacturing and others to small back street operations. With the availability of tableting machines, ovens, specialist equipment, ingredients and packaging materials, clandestine manufacturing facilities are quick and easy to assemble,” WHO said.

 Niti Ayog is keen to contain the fake supply of drugs across the country.