Service · in development
The counterfeit-medicine scan
A phone photograph of a medicine pack, examined for the visible evidence of falsification — with an answer in Dari, Pashto or English that says what was found, and what was not.
The question
One narrow question, answered well.
Does this pack show signs that it is not what it claims to be?
Method
How a scan proceeds.
Three stages, from one phone. An examination is only as good as its evidence, so capture comes first.
Capture
The box, front and back; the blister or bottle; the leaflet. The batch number and expiry must be legible. The app guides the framing and asks again when a photo is blurred, glared or incomplete.
Examination
Each photograph is compared with what a genuine pack of that product should show, in four respects — below.
The answer
Written and spoken in Dari, Pashto or English, with the evidence behind it and what to do next.
What the examination compares
Print and packaging
Typography, colour, layout, print quality and visible security features.
Batch and expiry
Whether the batch and dates follow the manufacturer's format and agree with each other.
Registration details
Whether names, addresses and registration marks take the form they should.
Ingredient and strength
The active ingredient and dose the pack states, read back to the user.
Results
Three answers. Never a guarantee.
Every result reports evidence and what to do next. A wrong all-clear is the more dangerous error, so the scan falls back to “cannot determine” rather than risk it.
No sign of falsification found
- What it means
- The pack is consistent with the genuine product in every respect examined.
- What to do
- Use as directed. This is not proof the contents are genuine — see the limits below.
Signs of falsification found
- What it means
- One or more features are inconsistent with the genuine product. The result names them.
- What to do
- Do not take or sell it. Return it to the supplier, or report it.
Cannot determine
- What it means
- The evidence is not enough to decide: the product is unknown, or the photos lack what is needed.
- What to do
- Set it aside and ask a pharmacist. The scan says so rather than guess.
Limits
What a photograph can and cannot establish.
These limits are inherent to examining a pack by photograph. They are stated here, and in every result, because a screen that overstates itself is worse than none.
It can examine
The outside of the pack
Print, packaging, batch, expiry and registration details — what a falsifier must imitate.
What the pack claims
The ingredient and strength it states, spoken in a language the patient understands.
When it cannot tell
An honest "cannot determine" instead of a guess.
It cannot detect
A substandard batch in genuine packaging
A legitimate manufacturer's failed batch can look exactly like a good one.
A perfect copy
A faithful imitation with plausible details may show no sign of falsification.
The contents themselves
Identity, strength and purity need a laboratory. A result is not a regulatory finding.
The reasoning is set out in full in our research brief, Substandard and falsified medicines.
Who it is for
For anyone holding a medicine they need to trust.
Patients and families
Check a medicine before taking it, or before giving it to someone else.
Pharmacists
Check stock from an unfamiliar supplier at the counter, and show customers it has been checked.
Clinics and health organisations
Screen donated and procured medicine before it reaches a patient.
Bring the seal to your pharmacy or clinic.
We are looking for pharmacies, clinics and health organisations in Afghanistan to shape the scan before it launches.
Write to hello@mohreaseel.com