With the pharmaceutical industry contributing 1.6 trillion in revenue in 2023, this sector is significant globally as it produces life-saving medications. However, the more value pharmaceutical products hold, the more they risk being plagued by an increasingly prevalent issue: counterfeiting.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 10% of medical products in low—and middle-income countries are substandard or fake. While the extent and impact of this problem are difficult to quantify, the counterfeited pharmaceutical market can be estimated to be worth up to $200 billion globally.
These duplicate, tampered, or adulterated pharma products not only impact the companies financially but also pose severe risks to public health, leading to adverse health reactions, prolonged illnesses, and even fatalities.
To overcome this particular issue, many anti-counterfeit measures have been developed. One popular means that pharmaceutical companies are adopting is anti-counterfeit packaging. This form of packaging ensures that pharmaceutical products reach consumers as intended—safe, effective, and unaltered. Anti-counterfeit packaging technology encompasses a range of techniques designed to prevent tampering, verify authenticity, and secure the drug supply chain from manufacturer to consumer.
Here, we explore how and what anti-counterfeit packaging solutions can safeguard the pharma industry.
How Anti-Counterfeit Packaging Can Help Combat Counterfeiting in the Pharma Industry?
Anti-counterfeit packaging is a specialized approach that integrates security features to prevent, detect, and trace counterfeit products. Therefore, this cutting-edge packaging can offer multiple layers of protection for the pharmaceutical industry, helping strengthen drug safety, ensure transparency, and maintain brand integrity.
Here’s how these solutions make an impact:
- Preventing Unauthorized Access
Using anti-counterfeiting packaging technologies like Acviss Uniqolabel holographic, tamper-proof labels and unique inks can help prevent unauthorized parties from interfering with the product by immediately indicating whether it’s tampered with.
- Tracking the Supply Chain
With serialization and Acviss’ Origin blockchain-based track and trace solution, each drug unit receives a unique identifier that enables full visibility across its journey from procurement to sale. This traceability helps pharmaceutical companies detect and address any suspicious activity within the supply chain, improving accountability and transparency.
- Enabling Quick Recalls and Quality Control
Pharma companies can easily identify damaged or tampered batches by serializing their products, allowing them to take corrective actions immediately if quality concerns arise. This proactive approach will help minimize potential harm to consumers and reinforce brand responsibility, all while streamlining quality control efforts across the supply chain.
- Combating Theft and Diversion
Anti-counterfeiting packaging technologies like serialization can help deter theft by helping track the location of drugs. In addition, brands can know whether their products are diverted amidst the supply chain and sold in unauthorized markets for lower prices. How? It’s by monitoring the product journey in the supply chain.
- Adhering to Global Regulations
The pharmaceutical industry is highly regulated, with pharma companies required to adhere to stringent regulations. By deploying anti-counterfeit packaging measures, these companies can easily comply with regulations, such as the U.S. DSCSA and the EU Falsified Medicines Directive, both requiring enhanced product tracking.
Hence, brands can reduce their legal and financial risks while maintaining high levels of consumer safety.
Top Anti-Counterfeiting Packaging Solutions for the Pharma Industry
You have understood how anti-counterfeiting packaging can help the pharma industry fight against counterfeiters. But you are unsure of what solutions will be suitable for the pharma sector from plethora of anti-counterfeiting packaging technologies being developed.
Below outlined are some anti-counterfeiting packaging that have proven effective in combating counterfeiting in the pharmaceutical industry:
1. Serialization
Serialization is a popular anti-counterfeiting measure that assigns a unique identifier, or serial number, to each individual drug unit. This code allows tracking of each serialized product throughout the supply chain and provides a digital record of the product’s journey from manufacturer to consumer.
But what information do these serialized codes consist of? These codes typically include details such as product codes, batch numbers, and expiration dates, helping distinguish real drugs from fakes.
How Does Serialization Help Track Drugs Through the Supply Chain?
As discussed above, serialization enables precise tracking of each drug unit in the pharma sector.
But how?
When a drug is manufactured, it is assigned a unique serial code. As it moves through the supply chain, this code is scanned and verified at each step, creating a traceable path that any authorized party can monitor anytime. This system makes it nearly impossible for counterfeit drugs to infiltrate the legitimate supply chain undetected. Moreover, if you want to recall the specific batches of drugs, you can do the same with the help of serialization.
Industrial Application of Serialization
Serialization has now been imposed as a regulatory requirement for the pharma sector in several countries.
For example, the U.S. Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) requires serialization for all prescription drugs sold in the United States. In addition, the Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) in Europe mandates that each manufacturer, wholesaler, and stakeholder in the pharmaceutical supply chain serialize and authenticate all prescription drugs.
These regulations have been deployed to prevent counterfeit drugs from entering the supply chain, enhance patient safety, and enable prompt identification of suspicious or illegal products.
2. Tamper-Evident Seals
Tamper-evident seals are special security seals and labels that are integrated with the pharma products’ packaging to provide evident and obvious evidence if the packaging has been opened forcefully or tampered with. As a part of a robust physical brand protection strategy, Uniqolabel tamper-proof seals help resist tampering and make any unauthorized access apparent to the consumer.
How do Tamper-Evident Seals help Prevent Unauthorized Access?
Many consumers end up receiving compromised drugs and medications, but they fail to recognize it because there is no visible evidence. If the packaging of these pharmaceutical products had been equipped with tamper-evident seals, it could have helped consumers identify tampering.
These tampering signs can include shrink bands, breakable seals, and foil pouches that tear upon opening. If the packaging has been tampered with, the seal will show signs of damage, alerting the consumer or retailer that the product’s integrity might have been compromised.
Industrial Application of Tamper-Evident Seals
Many pharmaceutical brands use tamper-evident seals in both over-the-counter and prescription medications. For example, Johnson & Johnson produced the first industry-leading tamper-evident packaging for its Tylenol bottles after suffering from a series of tampering incidents in the 1980s. Later, the company incorporated this anti-counterfeiting packaging on all of its over-the-counter medications.
Today, tamper-evident seals are a standard in the industry, helping to ensure that consumers receive products that have not been tampered with or compromised.
3. QR Codes for Verification
QR codes have been used as a robust anti-counterfeiting measure for years now because of their versatility and ease of use. What are they, and how do they work?
QR codes are matrix barcodes that can store information such as product-related details, from manufacturing and expiration dates to ingredients and verification data. When printed on pharmaceutical packaging, these codes can be scanned by consumers using a smartphone, enabling them to access details about the product's origin, authenticity, and other relevant information.
How QR Codes Help Consumers Check a Drug’s Authenticity?
QR codes have come across as an effective means for consumers to ensure a drug’s authenticity.
All consumers need to do is scan the QR code on the drug’s packaging using their smartphone. By scanning these codes, they can access a secure, cloud-based database that verifies the drug’s authenticity.
Once scanned, the QR code will display information about the drug's manufacturing details, batch number, and even a certification of authenticity. It gives consumers peace of mind that they are purchasing a legitimate pharma product.
Industrial Application of QR Codes for Verification
Due to advances in digital printing and smartphone cameras, you can find global pharma brands embracing secure QR codes for their drugs and medications.
One real-life application is in China, where researchers developed 3D ingestible QR codes in 2016 to apply to pharmaceutical dosage forms, like capsules and tablets. These polymer-based labels helped people authenticate the drugs by using a QR code reader on a smartphone.
Deploying such an anti-counterfeiting packaging approach not only combats counterfeiting but also strengthens consumer trust.
Fighting Counterfeit Medications and Drugs with Acviss Anti-Counterfeiting Technologies
As the threat of counterfeit drugs continues to rise, the need for robust anti-counterfeit packaging has never been greater. Effective solutions like serialization, tamper-evident seals, and QR code verification can provide pharmaceutical companies with the tools to secure their drugs and medications from duplicity and adulteration from production to the point of sale. These measures help protect both consumers and the industry, creating a safer pharmaceutical market.
For pharma companies seeking a comprehensive anti-counterfeit solution, Acviss offers advanced anti-counterfeiting technologies for secure and traceable packaging. With its solutions, including Uniquolable, Origin, Certify, and more, Acviss can help pharma brands enhance product authenticity and consumer confidence.
Looking forward to exploring Acviss products to fight against counterfeiting? Schedule a free consultation with us today!
