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Published on: October 11, 2019
Pill characterization data streams for reducing exposure to inadequately identified anti-malarial medication in
Peter Pennefather1, Aria Ilyad Ahmad, Ian Crandall
1University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. p.pennefather@utoronto.ca
A new digital system can verify anti-malaria medicine identification in developing countries by reframing the problem as misidentification, not counterfeiting. This approach enables distributed medicine characterization, improving patient safety and guiding malaria control efforts.
Area of Science:
- Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Digital Health
- Global Health
Background:
- A significant portion of anti-malaria medicines in developing nations are inadequately identified.
- Reframing the issue from criminal misrepresentation to misidentification opens new solution pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design a digital platform for a distributed medicine characterization system.
- To address challenges in medicine identification, including problematic interests in counterfeiting, complexity of deviations, diverse characterization technologies, and data aggregation.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of four key problems informed the design of a digital platform.
- Adaptation of existing digital technology for tracking malaria test results for pill attribute characterization.
Main Results:
- A feasible platform design was developed using open-source software and readily available technology for developing countries.
- The system can be implemented using commodity computational and communication technology.
Conclusions:
- The system allows users to verify medicine identity, suitability for local malaria treatment, and others' experiences.
- Distributed data streams can map global medicine use patterns, aiding malaria burden reduction efforts.
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