California will be the first state to track prescription drugs, which includes attaching a serial number to each prescription bottle and recording how many times it exchanges hands.

According to health officials, this will help detect fake and counterfeit drugs that can severely or fatally affect patients. Health officials will be able to detect where the drugs originated, who sold them, who purchased them, and more. The serial number can be tracked electronically.
 
Although the FDA says counterfeit drugs are somewhat of a rarity, the potential harm they can do to patients is worth the thorough prevention and investigation measures.