Cambridge, MA, February 19, 2013 — Sproxil, a U.S.-based company that provides world-class brand protection in emerging markets through mobile phone technology, announces that Dr. Prashant Yadav, Senior Research Fellow and Director of Healthcare Research Initiative, has joined the company’s Board of Advisors. Yadav, an expert in pharmaceutical and healthcare supply chain management in emerging markets, was formerly a Professor of Supply Chain Management at the MIT-Zaragoza International Logistics Program and currently serves as an advisor for multiple organizations in the area of pharmaceutical supply chains.
“Counterfeit drugs hurt patients as well as good quality drug manufacturers,” states Yadav. “Drug regulatory authorities in emerging markets remain constrained in their ability to prevent and detect counterfeit products because it is quite a resource-intensive operation…but Sproxil has created innovative technology that helps curb the issue.”
Sproxil’s Mobile Product Authentication™ (MPA™) solution allows consumers to verify the products they purchase are genuine by using a mobile phone and a simple, free text message. Using a scratch card method, similar to that used for replenishing cellular talk-time, users reveal a one-time-use code on drug packaging and text the code to a “911 for fake drugs” number which is identical to all cellular networks within a country. The solution has been shown to be the most secure and reliable available on the market. Both local companies and global pharmaceutical companies, including Merck and Johnson & Johnson, are using MPA to meet their brand protection needs.
“Sproxil’s flagship MPA solution helps reduce the penetration of counterfeit drugs in emerging countries; it is currently best known for its consumer-level product verification capability. The solution’s power can also be harnessed at every level of the supply chain to add greater security and decrease vulnerabilities of products from unlawful interception by counterfeiters,” states Dr. Ashifi Gogo, CEO of Sproxil. “Dr. Yadav’s extensive experience and expertise in pharmaceutical supply chain management in developing countries will help guide our mission to safeguard these distribution networks at every level – from manufacturer to consumer – ultimately ensuring that end-consumers remain safe from potentially harmful or fatal counterfeit products. “
Yadav is a Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Health Care Research Initiative at the William Davidson Institute. He also holds faculty appointments at the Ross School of Business and the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan. He is a leading expert on pharmaceutical and healthcare supply chain management in emerging markets and serves as an advisor to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, World Bank, World Health Organization, UK Department for International Development, and many other global health organizations.
Yadav received his Ph.D. from the Manderson Graduate School of Business at the University of Alabama. He received his MBA from the FORE School of Management and his Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology.
The other members of the Sproxil advisory board include Egbe Osifo-Dawodu, MD, Partner at Anadach Group, formerly with the World Bank Institute; Ethan Zuckerman, serial entrepreneur and Senior Researcher at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University; Mitul Shah, Director of Engineering at the West Wireless Institute; Paul W. Chang, Global Business Strategy Lead, Emerging Technologies for IBM Software Group; and Chris Israel, Partner at American Continental Group.
About Sproxil
Sproxil is a venture-backed, social enterprise that provides world-class brand protection services in emerging markets. The Company’s Mobile Product Authentication™ MPA™ solution helps ensure purchased goods are not stolen or counterfeit by allowing consumers to verify product genuineness within seconds through a text message. Compatible with any tangible item, Sproxil’s solution is widely used by leading pharmaceutical companies to curb the multi-billion dollar counterfeit drug industry. The Company has also penetrated non-pharmaceutical industries including personal care, automotive aftermarket, and food supplements. Sproxil has won the IBM SmartCamp Boston Award and the 2009 Clinton Global Initiative Outstanding Commitment Award, as well as received regulatory endorsements in Nigeria and Kenya. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, Sproxil continues to expand across Asia and Africa. For more information.
