Pharmexcil-appointed agency will also consult a few leading SME pharma units to protect the interests of the sector, along with the five major firms in the domestic industry, before finalising a technology to track the medicines exported out of the country with a view to eliminate the apprehensions of counterfeit drugs.

The Pharmexcil, as per the direction of the Commerce Ministry to identify a suitable mechanism to track the medicines and wipe out allegations of counterfeit drugs, had appointed Mumbai-based Candle Partners to evaluate the new technologies. Initially, the advisory firm was told to consult the five leading companies like Ranbaxy and Lupin.

However, following the requests from the SME sector, the Pharmexcil has asked the agency to consult five leading players from the SME sector also on choosing a technology, thus making sure that the interests of the sector also were protected, sources said. The Pharmexcil committee will discuss on adopting the new technology upon the submission of the report from this agency and then finally forward it to the commerce ministry.

Pune-based company Bilcare, at a recent meeting, had proposed to the commerce ministry to use radio frequency technology to trace medicines from the moment it is despatched from the factory to where it will be consumed. It could cost an additional Rs 1.50 on a strip for 10 tabs to use the medicine.

But most of the Pharmexcil members and the small scale industry in general opposed the move, thus prompting the commerce ministry to entrust the task of identifying the most appropriate technology with the Pharmexcil. The small scale units were apprehensive that such technology will only endorse the hollow argument that India was home to counterfeit drugs.