<s>
mPedigree	B-Application
refers	O
both	O
to	O
a	O
mobile	O
telephony	O
shortcode	O
platform	O
that	O
interconnects	O
GSM	O
mobile	O
networks	O
in	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
African	O
and	O
Asian	O
countries	O
to	O
a	O
central	O
registry	O
wherein	O
pedigree	O
information	O
of	O
product	O
brands	O
belonging	O
to	O
participant	O
manufacturers	O
are	O
stored	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
organisation	O
that	O
was	O
founded	O
in	O
2007	O
to	O
manage	O
and	O
promote	O
this	O
registry	O
to	O
organisations	O
and	O
governments	O
in	O
Africa	O
and	O
other	O
parts	O
of	O
the	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
latter	O
is	O
named	O
the	O
mPedigree	B-Application
Network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2015	O
,	O
the	O
mPedigree	B-Application
Network	O
rebranded	O
to	O
'	O
mPedigree	B-Application
 '	O
,	O
and	O
begun	O
to	O
trade	O
under	O
that	O
name	O
and	O
a	O
new	O
logo	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
a	O
knight-of-chess	O
motif	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2008	O
,	O
the	O
Nigerian	O
National	O
Agency	O
for	O
Drug	O
Administration	O
&	O
Control	O
(	O
NAFDAC	O
)	O
reported	O
to	O
an	O
industry	O
publication	O
that	O
its	O
Technical	O
Committee	O
was	O
evaluating	O
the	O
security	O
credentials	O
of	O
the	O
mPedigree	B-Application
system	O
for	O
a	O
possible	O
roll-out	O
in	O
that	O
country	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
2014	O
,	O
NAFDAC	O
had	O
renamed	O
this	O
initiative	O
as	O
MAS	O
(	O
Mobile	O
Authentication	O
Service	O
)	O
,	O
involving	O
multiple	O
partners	O
,	O
including	O
mPedigree	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2011	O
,	O
the	O
Kenyan	O
drug	O
safety	O
regulator	O
announced	O
its	O
support	O
for	O
the	O
mobile	O
telephony	O
anti-counterfeiting	O
system	O
deployed	O
in	O
that	O
country	O
by	O
mPedigree	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
,	O
the	O
Kenyan	O
agricultural	O
regulator	O
,	O
KEPHIS	O
,	O
announced	O
a	O
partnership	O
with	O
mPedigree	B-Application
to	O
enable	O
the	O
verification	O
of	O
seed	O
quality	O
using	O
mobile	O
phone	O
technologies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Manufacturers	O
who	O
sign	O
on	O
to	O
the	O
mPedigree	B-Application
scheme	O
upload	O
pedigree	O
information	O
of	O
each	O
pack	O
of	O
medicine	O
into	O
the	O
central	O
registry	O
using	O
standard	O
mass	O
serialisation	O
methods	O
such	O
as	O
those	O
employed	O
in	O
the	O
RFID-enabled	O
e-pedigree	O
system	O
familiar	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
and	O
elsewhere	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2010	O
it	O
was	O
reported	O
that	O
Hewlett	O
Packard	O
(	O
HP	O
)	O
,	O
Zain	O
Telecommunications	O
,	O
and	O
undisclosed	O
pharmaceutical	O
and	O
other	O
partners	O
had	O
signed	O
up	O
to	O
the	O
mPedigree	B-Application
program	O
with	O
plans	O
to	O
extend	O
the	O
service	O
to	O
multiple	O
countries	O
across	O
Africa	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
forum	O
convened	O
together	O
with	O
the	O
US-based	O
Partnership	O
for	O
Safe	O
Medicines	O
and	O
the	O
Ghana	O
Food	O
&	O
Drugs	O
Board	O
,	O
the	O
Deputy	O
Chief	O
Executive	O
of	O
the	O
Food	O
&	O
Drugs	O
Board	O
announced	O
that	O
the	O
Ghanaian	O
Authorities	O
were	O
investigating	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
mPedigree	B-Application
platform	O
as	O
a	O
national	O
standard	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
outcomes	O
of	O
the	O
trial	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
new	O
consortium	O
,	O
including	O
mPedigree	B-Application
and	O
other	O
technology	O
companies	O
,	O
was	O
formed	O
by	O
Nigerian	O
regulator	O
NAFDAC	O
to	O
promote	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
mobile	O
medicines	O
authentication	O
technologies	O
in	O
Nigeria	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
July	O
2014	O
a	O
deadline	O
for	O
compliance	O
was	O
set	O
for	O
manufacturers	O
of	O
certain	O
categories	O
of	O
medicines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
21	O
August	O
2014	O
,	O
the	O
Pharmaceutical	O
Society	O
of	O
Ghana	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
adopted	O
the	O
mPedigree	B-Application
initiative	O
through	O
its	O
new	O
PREVENT	O
program	O
,	O
thus	O
making	O
the	O
mPedigree	B-Application
solution	O
an	O
industry-wide	O
standard	O
in	O
Ghana	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Pharmaceutical	O
Society	O
's	O
member	O
organization	O
,	O
the	O
Pharmaceutical	O
Manufacturers	O
Association	O
of	O
Ghana	O
,	O
also	O
announced	O
its	O
embrace	O
of	O
the	O
solution	O
,	O
and	O
mention	O
was	O
made	O
that	O
several	O
member	O
companies	O
of	O
the	O
association	O
had	O
already	O
implemented	O
the	O
mPedigree	B-Application
Goldkeys	O
solution	O
on	O
medicines	O
sold	O
in	O
Ghana	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
mPedigree	B-Application
's	O
Goldkeys	O
technology	O
is	O
also	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
protection	O
of	O
products	O
from	O
counterfeiting	O
in	O
other	O
industries	O
such	O
as	O
textiles	O
and	O
cosmetics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2015	O
,	O
the	O
Ugandan	O
standards	O
regulator	O
,	O
the	O
UNBS	O
,	O
announced	O
a	O
partnership	O
with	O
mPedigree	B-Application
,	O
USAID	O
,	O
and	O
others	O
to	O
track	O
seeds	O
and	O
other	O
agro-inputs	O
,	O
and	O
secure	O
them	O
against	O
counterfeiting	O
,	O
using	O
mPedigree	B-Application
's	O
Goldkeys	O
platform	O
,	O
under	O
the	O
KAKASA	O
brand	O
name	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MPedigree	B-Application
lists	O
as	O
its	O
supporting	O
partners	O
:	O
the	O
World	O
Economic	O
Forum	O
Technology	O
Pioneers	O
Program	O
,	O
Ashoka	O
,	O
Nokia	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
telecoms	O
carriers	O
and	O
pharmaceutical	O
regulators	O
in	O
Ghana	O
,	O
Nigeria	O
,	O
and	O
India	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2008	O
,	O
mPedigree	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
commissioned	O
the	O
first	O
documentary	O
on	O
the	O
fake	O
drugs	O
phenomenon	O
produced	O
within	O
West	O
Africa	O
by	O
a	O
locally	O
based	O
production	O
House	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2009	O
,	O
mPedigree	B-Application
lost	O
out	O
to	O
Air	O
Semiconductor	O
in	O
the	O
finals	O
of	O
the	O
2009	O
Institution	O
of	O
Engineering	O
Technology	O
's	O
Innovation	O
Awards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
4	O
December	O
2008	O
,	O
the	O
World	O
Economic	O
Forum	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
has	O
selected	O
mPedigree	B-Application
as	O
a	O
2009	O
Technology	O
Pioneer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
World	O
Economic	O
Forum	O
's	O
Technology	O
Pioneer	O
Program	O
alumni	O
includes	O
NanoSolar	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
,	O
the	O
Wikimedia	O
Foundation	O
(	O
publishers	O
of	O
the	O
Wikipedia	O
)	O
,	O
Mozilla	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Raindance	O
Technologies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2010	O
,	O
mPedigree	B-Application
won	O
the	O
start-up	O
category	O
of	O
the	O
Global	O
Security	O
Challenge	O
in	O
London	O
,	O
becoming	O
the	O
first	O
organisation	O
in	O
the	O
Southern	O
Hemisphere	O
to	O
win	O
the	O
award	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
organisers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2011	O
,	O
mPedigree	B-Application
won	O
the	O
2011	O
Netexplorateur	O
Grand	O
Prix	O
at	O
UNESCO	O
in	O
Paris	O
,	O
for	O
combating	O
fake	O
medicine	O
in	O
Africa	O
through	O
texting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2013	O
,	O
mPedigree	B-Application
's	O
President	O
,	O
Bright	O
Simons	O
,	O
was	O
given	O
a	O
lifetime	O
achievement	O
award	O
by	O
the	O
International	O
Foundation	O
for	O
Africa	O
Innovation	O
,	O
for	O
his	O
work	O
in	O
mobile	O
innovation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2016	O
,	O
Fastcompany	O
placed	O
mPedigree	B-Application
at	O
number	O
five	O
(	O
5	O
)	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
innovative	O
companies	O
from	O
Africa	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2016	O
,	O
Fortune	O
Magazine	O
ranked	O
mPedigree	B-Application
at	O
number	O
34	O
on	O
its	O
Change	O
the	O
World	O
List	O
,	O
ahead	O
of	O
other	O
well	O
known	O
companies	O
such	O
as	O
Tesla	O
and	O
LinkedIn	O
.	O
</s>
