What is the name of your organization?
VerZ
What is the name of your solution?
VerZ
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
VerZ - No stockouts, no falsified drugs, no barriers, just genuine antibiotics, anytime, anywhere, even when you don't have money.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Douala, Cameroun
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
Cameroon
What type of organization is your solution team?
For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), access to genuine oral antibiotics remains a critical issue, particularly in underserved and remote communities. Substandard and falsified medications are widespread, undermining treatment efficacy, accelerating antibiotic resistance, and driving up morality rates. Poor stock management in pharmacies only worsens the situation, leading to stockouts of essential antibiotics and overstocking of others, restricting access to the right medication at the right time.
Financial constraints often force impoverished populations in Africa to buy falsified or substandard medications from street vendors. This increases healthcare costs and delays recovery, as patients frequently need to make multiple attempts to find effective treatment. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), falsified and substandard medicines cause up to 500,000 deaths annually in sub-Saharan Africa. Among these, 169,271 deaths are linked to falsified antibiotics for severe pneumonia in children.
In Cameroon, a study by Dr. Waffo & All found that 26,9% of sampled medicines, including 20.4% of antibiotics, were substandard or falsified. Adding to the burden, only 1 in 10 pharmacies in Cameroon operates after 9pm, leaving individuals with urgent medical need to turn to unreliable sources.
What is your solution?
In many African countries, community banks (known as Susu in Ghana, Chama in Kenya, Vicoba in Tanzania, and SACCOs in Uganda) are vital financial lifelines for populations. Operating on a cooperative model, they offer access to credit for essential needs like healthcare. VerZ leverages this structure to offer instant loan for genuine antibiotics and essential medicines, preventing financial hardship from pushing people toward falsified drugs.
A Dual-Level Strategy for equitable healthcare access
1. Instant loan for antibiotics: VerZ enables individuals, including those without smartphones to obtain antibiotics and other essential medicines on loan at licensed partner pharmacies. Access is guaranteed even outside standard hours through an extended network of partner distributors. The platform includes real-time stock tracking, predictive analytics, and automated restocking alerts to avoid shortages and maintain continuous supply.
2. Collaborating with Community Banks: In Cameroon, where community banks serve 58% of the adult population, these banks subscribe to VerZ via a security deposit. This allows their members to access medications on credit and repay within one or two months, ensuring long-term financial sustainability.
3. VerZ also monitors antibiotics prescriptions to prevent overuse and fight antimicrobial resistance aligning health with local economic development.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Verz serves vulnerable populations in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in rural and peri-urban communities of Cameroon, where limited access to quality antibiotics and prevalence of falsified antibiotics pose serious public health risks. Many patients turn to informal markets due to stock shortages, high costs, and restricted pharmacy hours, increasing their exposure to substandard or falsified antibiotics, which worsens antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
VerZ integrates real-time stock monitoring, predictive analytics, and digital verification to improve supply chain transparency and antibiotic quality control. Our automated loan system ensures that patients can access verified antibiotics from certified pharmacies even without immediate funds, reducing reliance on unsafe alternatives. VerZ monitors antibiotic prescriptions to reduce overuse and combat antimicrobial resistance, ensuring proper treatment adherence.
By harnessing data to optimize inventory and detect supply chain gaps, VerZ strengthens pharmaceutical distribution networks, reduces the circulation of falsified antibiotics, and helps mitigate the risks of antimicrobial resistance through improved prescription monitoring.
