On Monday, Missouri picked a company which would be responsible for the development of a database for tracking purchases of cold medications that can be utilized to make methamphetamine.

A paper log has been maintained by Missouri since 2005, and law officers later check it to track purchases of drugs for cold which contain pseudoephedrine. A law passed in 2008, however, required the development of electronic logs which would allow monitoring of all activity in real-time.

The plans had, however, come to a standstill as there were not enough funds to take things forward.

But now, a Louisville, Ky., based technology company, Appriss Inc., has been picked to develop and maintain the new electronic monitoring system. Already, the company operates a system that connects as many as 18,000 pharmacies from nearby states.

As has been confirmed by Gov. Jay Nixon, pharmaceutical companies have agreed to provide funds for the development and operation of the new database.