Is your medication real? Find out in seconds.
Counterfeit pills made to look like real prescriptions are a leading cause of fentanyl deaths in the United States. PillVerifier checks your medication's unique code directly against the manufacturer's registry — free, anonymous, no account.
Verify your medication
Enter the unique code printed on your medication or its packaging — or scan it with your phone's camera.
Free · Anonymous · Works on any phone
Three steps between you and certainty
Every participating medication carries a unique one-time code issued by its own manufacturer. Checking it takes less time than reading this sentence.
Find the code
Look for the unique code printed on the unit or its packaging — a 16-character code like XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX, often alongside a scannable square barcode.
Scan or type it
Use the camera button to scan the barcode with your phone, or type the code in by hand. No app to install, no account to create.
Get a straight answer
We query the manufacturer's registry and give you one of four unambiguous answers — and the code you checked is retired forever, protecting the next person.
A code that dies when it's checked
Old anti-counterfeit systems failed for one reason: criminals copied a single real code onto thousands of fake packages, and every one of them "verified." Our registry closes that loophole.
Manufacturers hold the keys
Only the medication's manufacturer — or a government authority — can mint codes into the registry. Nobody else can create a "valid" code, at any price.
Checking retires the code
The first time anyone checks a code, it is permanently invalidated. Copy a real code onto 10,000 fakes and 9,999 buyers see a red warning.
Every check is on the record
Verifications are logged to a permanent audit trail, so manufacturers can spot counterfeit hot-spots by lot and region — and recall instantly.
How to spot a fake medicine
No photo or appearance check can prove what's inside a pill — counterfeit "M30" pills are pressed to look identical to real oxycodone. But these red flags should stop you before you ever take one.
If your pill has no code, treat it as dangerous.
Any pill that did not come from a licensed pharmacy can contain a lethal dose of fentanyl — and nothing about how it looks can rule that out. Free fentanyl test strips and naloxone (Narcan) are available in most states.
Learn more from the people fighting this every day
PillVerifier verifies codes. These organizations cover the rest — identification, education, and enforcement.
Questions, answered plainly
What does a green "Verified authentic" result actually prove?
It proves the code was issued by the manufacturer and had never been checked before. It verifies the code — not the person who sold it to you. If you did not perform the check yourself on medication in your possession, don't trust it.
I checked a code and it says "already used." What now?
Don't take the medication. If you believe it's legitimate — for example, your pharmacist may have verified it at dispensing — contact the pharmacy that dispensed it. Manufacturers can restore a code within a limited window if the check was theirs.
My medication has no code at all. Is it fake?
Not necessarily — manufacturers are still adopting unit-level codes, and most pharmacy-dispensed medication is repackaged. What matters most is the source: if it came from a licensed pharmacy, it went through the tracked supply chain. If it came from anywhere else, treat it as dangerous.
Can't someone just check a photo of my pill instead?
Appearance can identify what a pill claims to be, but it cannot prove what's inside — counterfeits are pressed to look identical. That's why we verify registry codes instead of photos, and why we never call anything "safe" based on looks.
Do you track who checks a code?
No account, no name, no tracking. The registry records that a code was checked and when — because that's what makes one-time-use work — but not who you are.
I'm a manufacturer or regulator. How do we participate?
The registry issues unit codes under your control — you hold the keys, you mint the codes, you can recall lots instantly. Visit the manufacturer portal to see the workflow.