Pfizer Combats Counterfeited Viagra in Hong Kong

Through serialization technology, pharmaceutical company Pfizer was able to target the distribution of counterfeit Viagra in Hong Kong.

Pfizer's Viagra and Kezzler's Serialization Technology
Pfizer's Viagra and Kezzler's Serialization Technology

Counterfeit drugs have been a major hurdle for pharmaceutical companies worldwide—approximately 73 billion euros of counterfeit medicine are distributed annually, according to the World Health Organization.

Pfizer, a corporation that develops and produces medicine and vaccines for numerous medical disciplines, found that sales of their blockbuster drug Viagra were being undermined in Asian markets by major counterfeiting operations. In Hong Kong alone, approximately 40% of Viagra sales were found to be counterfeit.

To expose the fakes and increase the sales of the authentic drug, Pfizer turned to Kezzler’s serialization technology, which is designed to protect brands, track distribution, and strengthen consumer loyalty in the pharmaceutical industry using Kezzlercodes. Pfizer currently uses Norway-based Kezzler’s serialization technology to protect eight of its biggest brands.

“Aggregation for track and trace is the next level, but in this case a quick and fast solution to tackle the problem of counterfeit Viagra led to the prioritization of the serialization solution,” says Christine C. Akselsen, CEO of Kezzler.

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