TRVST: Enhancing Global Health with Robust Traceability and Verification
Counterfeit and falsified medicines are a pervasive issue, especially in low- and middle-income countries, causing around 169,000 child deaths annually. To address this critical problem, UNICEF, in collaboration with global partners, launched the Traceability and Verification System (TRVST) in 2022. This system is a groundbreaking initiative designed to ensure the continuous availability of safe, high-quality health products by enhancing the traceability and verification of medicines across the supply chain.
The TRVST platform relies on a global repository that stores comprehensive health product information, including Global Trade Item, serial and batch numbers, production, and expiry dates. This data, provided by medical product manufacturers, is accessible through a mobile application that allows healthcare workers, regulatory authorities, and customs agents to scan product barcodes. The system instantly verifies the authenticity of the products, reducing the risk of counterfeit or falsified medicines entering the market. In the event of a verification failure or suspicious activity, an alert is triggered, notifying both the manufacturer and the regulatory authority, thereby enabling swift action.
The system's initial focus was on COVID-19 vaccines, given the urgency of the pandemic. However, TRVST's scope has since expanded to cover a wide range of health products, including childhood vaccines, HIV and tuberculosis treatments, reproductive health supplies, anti-malarial products, and essential medicines. By the end of 2023, nearly ten manufacturers had registered over 125 products in TRVST, which was already in use across three countries on two continents.
The success of TRVST hinges on the active participation of both governments and manufacturers. As more entities join the platform and integrate their serialization data, TRVST will become an even more powerful tool for safeguarding global health. The system not only improves the accuracy of product verification processes but also enhances overall supply chain transparency, ensuring that only safe and authorized medicines reach patients.
TRVST represents a significant advancement in the global fight against counterfeit medicines, offering a scalable solution that can be adopted by countries of all income levels. By strengthening the integrity of the health supply chain, TRVST helps protect vulnerable populations, especially children, from the dangers of counterfeit medicines, ultimately contributing to a healthier world.
