Why Experts Say that GS1 Alone In Inadequate as a Safeguard in Africa’s Medicine Supply Chain. African Needs Solutions Beyond Barcodes.

Beyond barcodes lies the real challenge. Experts say that GS1 may be globally relevant. However, in Africa’s fight against falsified medicines, experts claim that tracing alone is not enough. The lesson is simple. Global standards do not always match local realities and when global relevance fails local fit, what is needed is more than GS1 to truly safeguard medicine integrity across the continent.

In recent years, GS1 standards have been widely promoted as a global solution for improving visibility and traceability in supply chains. Their adoption has undeniably strengthened product identification and tracking in highly regulated and well-structured markets such as Europe and North America. Yet when experts turn their attention to Africa, the suitability of GS1 as a stand-alone solution comes under serious scrutiny. Medicines for Africa follows the facts, and the evidence suggests that while GS1 can play a supporting role in the fight against falsified medicines, it is not sufficient on its own. What is required is a more holistic approach that blends authentication technologies, stronger enforcement, regulatory harmonisation across regions, and genuine engagement at the community level.

One of the most persistent critiques is that GS1 was designed with formal, mature markets in mind. These are environments where medicines move almost exclusively through regulated distribution chains, with rigorous checks at every step. Africa’s reality is starkly different. In many countries, a large proportion of medicines circulate through informal channels, often bypassing official systems entirely. A barcode on a package may work perfectly well in a European pharmacy but does little good in an open-air market in Lagos or Kinshasa, where medicines may be sold loose, in partial packs, or outside any traceable infrastructure. This mismatch between design assumptions and on-the-ground realities is a central reason why experts argue that GS1 alone cannot solve Africa’s falsified medicines challenge.

Another fundamental limitation is the distinction between identification and authentication. GS1 enables unique product identification, which is valuable for tracking movement through formal supply chains. However, identification is not the same as proving authenticity. A falsified medicine can carry a genuine barcode copied from a legitimate product, making it indistinguishable at the point of sale without an additional layer of security. Authentication technologies such as mobile verification codes or serialization with consumer-level checking tools provide an extra barrier that GS1, by itself, does not offer. Without this, consumers and frontline health workers remain vulnerable to counterfeit medicines that appear legitimate but are anything but safe.

Infrastructure gaps further compound the challenge. Scanning, tracking, and verifying GS1 codes require reliable electricity, internet connectivity, and adequately equipped facilities. In many parts of Africa, especially in rural areas, these basic conditions are inconsistent or absent. Expecting GS1 systems to function seamlessly in such contexts risks widening the gap between well-served urban centers and underserved rural populations, leaving millions without effective safeguards against falsified medicines.

The issue of cost and sustainability also weighs heavily in expert analyses. Implementing GS1 requires investment in technology, training, and ongoing maintenance. For resource-constrained health systems and small-scale distributors, these costs can be prohibitive. Even if initial donor funding supports the rollout, questions of long-term sustainability remain unresolved. Without reliable financing models, there is a real risk of systems failing once external support is withdrawn, undermining trust and continuity.

Perhaps the most sobering critique is that GS1 does not address the root causes of Africa’s vulnerability to falsified medicines. Weak regulatory environments, porous borders, limited enforcement capacity, and high consumer demand for low-cost medicines create fertile ground for counterfeiters. Tackling these structural issues requires coordinated regional regulation, stronger enforcement mechanisms, and active community engagement to raise awareness and build trust. GS1 may help track medicines within the formal supply chain, but it does not eliminate the systemic weaknesses that allow falsified products to flourish in the first place.

The African context is therefore a reminder that global relevance does not automatically equal contextual fit. GS1 has an important role to play, but only as part of a broader, multi-layered strategy tailored to the realities of African health systems and markets. The path forward lies not in importing solutions wholesale, but in building integrated responses that combine the strengths of identification standards with the practical tools, enforcement capacity, and grassroots engagement needed to protect patients across the continent.

#PharmaceuticalSafety #GlobalHealth #DEG #EG #ChildHealth #WHO #Diagnostics #PublicHealth #InnovationForImpact #RegulatoryScience #LMICs #TPP #africa #medicines #vaccines #diagnostics #medicaldevices #health #healthcare #publichealth #pandemic #arvs #qualitymedicines #safemedicines #substandardmedicines #counterfeitedmedicines

📌For all the latest health developments on medicines subscribe

For the latest insights into international health affairs with a focus on Africa, read Utano Newsletter.

Subscribe to our Newsletter and listen to Utano Podcast on our Youtube channel.

📌Our podcast is available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple.

📌Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and like us on Instagram.