Every year tens of thousands of slotxo people across Africa die. Consequently, Cameroonian pharmacist Franck Verzefé has developed a device that uses artificial intelligence or AI to determine if a drug is Is it a fake drug or a real drug?
Moki Edwin Kindzeka presents Anne Nzouankeu's report from Douala, Cameroon.
French physician Lionel Nana said he was often seen at a clinic in Douala. Who are still sick and not cured by the use of counterfeit drugs And that's why he brought the device right away, knowing it could help pinpoint whether the drug was real or counterfeit. And that before The drugs he prescribes to the patients Not always good But since there is this device He can guarantee at least 90% better patient care.
Dr. Nana uses a portable device called True-Spec, created by a Cameroonian pharmacist.
By placing the drug on the device for less than 10 seconds, the device analyzes the chemical composition of the drug and sends the results back to the mobile phone connected to the device.
If this is a real drug, the device will show the composition of the drug. And if it is a counterfeit drug, the device will show that "Unable to determine the composition of the drug"
The device was well received by the Cameroonian College of Pharmacists. This is especially after the World Health Organization warned that counterfeit hypertension drugs are being distributed in Cameroon. And a fake meningitis vaccine in Niger
Christopher Ampoam, a French physician from the College of Pharmacists of Cameroon, said: Using this app will help doctors be confident in the quality of the medicines they prescribe to their patients. It also gives consumers confidence in the quality of the drugs they use.
True-Spec has been named one of the 30 Innovative Finalists in the 2018 World Health Organization Innovation Competition. It is a competition to showcase awareness of health innovations that can meet African public health needs.
For now, the device is only available in Cameroon, said True-Spec inventor Franck Verzéfé. In Africa it has already shown an interest in adopting this device.
And the next step is to collaborate with governments of African countries to make governments more involved in the fight against counterfeit drug production. And find real solutions to help solve the African problem. This is because the African population is the most affected by counterfeit drugs.
However, a study by the European Union last year found that almost half of the drugs were counterfeit. Or all low-quality drugs reported to the World Health Organization It was found in the south of the Sahara desert in Africa. The report also stated that only counterfeit antimalarial drugs. Causing more than 64,000 deaths a year
