Development and Evaluation of MediVerify: A New Digital Database and Search Engine for Registered Medicines in Sri Lanka

Background: The National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) of Sri Lanka identified the need for a web-based application to enable rapid searches of registered medicines, improving access for regulators and the public to ensure medicine safety.Method: MediVerify (http://mediverify.lk), a web application with a database of 11,933 registered medicines, was developed to achieve this goal. It allows fast searches by generic and trade names and is indexed by search engines like Google. The platform features rapid response times and error-tolerant search capabilities to enhance usability.Results: Launched on July 11, 2024, by the Minister of Health, MediVerify recorded 21,710 searches in its first week (averaging 3,103 searches daily) across 4,008 medicines. Paracetamol preparations were most frequently searched (>25.88%), followed by cefuroxime (8.95%), co-amoxiclav (4.05%), amoxicillin (3.48%), atorvastatin (3.28%), losartan (2.91%), metformin (2.55%), and salbutamol (2.26%). Antibiotics like cefuroxime and co-amoxiclav, along with non-communicable disease medications such as atorvastatin and metformin, dominated searches.Conclusions and Recommendations: MediVerify demonstrated exceptional efficiency, with response times of 0.004 seconds for accurate queries and 1.4 seconds for similar or misspelt terms. This platform facilitates quick access to detailed medicine information, offering significant benefits for regulators and the public in Sri Lanka. We recommend expanding the platform's capabilities to include pricing information and suggest future collaborations with international regulatory systems for broader integration.