Fighting Counterfeit Medicines: How Lightly Technologies is Revolutionising Drug Detection

Counterfeit medicines pose a serious global threat, well exampled by the current fentanyl crisis, demanding close to 200 lives per day. In a recent episode of InnoStars Talks, Monika Stepánová, CEO and co-founder of Lightly Technologies, discussed how the company is tackling this issue with a groundbreaking portable detection system.

The idea for Lightly Technologies emerged when one of the co-founders, Lukas Nedjl discovered a method to detect counterfeit substances in liquids. This quickly advanced into the analysis of medicines, with the development of a three-part system: a portable device, single-use cartridges, and a global database. Their unique “UV fingerprinting” technology allows detecting and cross-matching drug compositions and also identifying links between previous detections globally , something that is unmatched currently by any competitor on the market.

As with any start-up, Lightly Technologies also faced hardships. Stepánová underlined challenges in hardware development, funding, and government partnerships. She pointed out the importance of strategic networking and understanding industry “rules” to navigate these difficulties effectively: “You really have to know the rules of the game you’re playing, so you can actually be playing it.”

EIT Health has played a significant role in the company’s growth, providing support, valuable connections, and learning opportunities through programmes such as EIT Jumpstarter and InnoStars Awards, as Stepánová mentioned. According to her, early-stage start-ups should engage with organisations such as EIT Health to gain the resources needed to scale globally.

Looking ahead, Lightly Technologies aims to secure investment, generate revenue, and establish itself as the leading technology for combating counterfeit drugs while expanding into new healthcare sectors in the long run.

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