India, June 25 -- The government has expanded its QR code-based track-and-trace system to include all vaccines, antimicrobials, anti-cancer medicines, and narcotic and psychotropic drugs, in a major step aimed at strengthening safeguards against counterfeit and substandard pharmaceuticals.

The Union Health Ministry has amended the Drugs Rules, 1945, bringing these categories under Schedule H2, which mandates the use of barcodes or QR codes on medicine packaging for identification and verification across the supply chain.

Under the new rules, manufacturers will be required to print or affix QR codes on primary packaging or secondary packaging where space is limited. The digital code will allow verification of medicines using software app...