PHARMA, HEALTHCARE & COSMETICS: COVERT & OVERT
deaths around the world. The most recent of these cases occurred in China in 2009, where some diabetes tablets containing six times the normal dose of glibenclamide caused two deaths and hospitalised nine others. There have also been cases containing counterfeit Viagra found in Thailand and even in the UK, Zyprexa for treating bipolar disorder and schizophrenia plus the Lipitor drug for lowering cholesterol were detected in the supply chain, lacking the sufficient amount of the active ingredient.
COMBATTING COUNTERFEITERS Throughout the world there are various regulatory controls and bodies in place which contribute to the prevention and detection of SFFC medicines. The World Health Organisation also plays a key role and helped set up The International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce (IMPACT) in 2006. This voluntary group, which includes governments, organisations, institutions, agencies and associations from developing and developed countries aims to share expertise, identify problems, seek solutions, coordinate activities and work towards the common goal of fighting counterfeit medical products. Unfortunately, due to the
flexibility and cunning of the counterfeiters, this goal cannot be achieved without the medicine manufacturers and brands doing their bit, which means investing in the right security technologies to safe guard not just their company name and brand but the health and lives of their end users. The holographics industry has
been working with pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers of pharmaceutical packaging for a number of years. There is a range of versatile solutions that can help companies stay one step ahead of the counterfeiters to provide various levels of overt, covert and forensic security. Overt security features are
those that are visible to the eye. In pharmaceutical packaging, this can be as simple as a crimped band. When the seal has been broken or is missing, it is clear that the medicine has been opened. More complex overt security
measures include the use of holographic images. Today holography dominates the authentication market because no competing print technology can work on so many levels of security. Holographic images can be used to great effect on
security but they are also vital in helping to fulfil the primary function of the packaging, which for many medicines is to provide a barrier against air and moisture. This is also where coatings and adhesives plays a key role because certain
“Today holography dominates the authentication market because no competing print technology can work on so many levels of security, and can be used to great effect as a first level of security”
pharmaceutical packaging as a first level of security. Bespoke holographic images including company or brand logos can be produced using these technologies that are complex and highly advanced, meaning replication is outside the reach of the casual counterfeiter. Certain overt markers can be included in the images which can then be easily checked at every level of the supply chain for authenticity. In addition, these holographic images have the added benefit of being able to be used as decorative features that improve the eye catching visibility of a product and enhance the perception of the brand. Tamper-evident solutions are
another level of security which can be used on both outside and inner packaging. For example, a selective release label base allows companies to incorporate both tamper- evident and holographic security features onto self adhesive security labels in order to protect products from illegal interference. When a label made with the material is interfered with, either a hexagon or circle pattern is revealed, making detection easy and re-use impossible. For the inner packaging of
medicines such as tablets, holographic foils can be used to print on aluminium blister foil to provide another form of overt, tamper-evident security. These foils clearly show when the foil has been pierced or tampered with and they offer an additional benefit of being suitable for overprinting so that barcodes, sequential numbering and DNA codes can also be added to them to provide track and trace capabilities. Not only do these foils provide exceptional tamper-evident
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medicines can be contaminated by certain adhesives. Depending on the medicine
to be packed, the right foil and adhesive has to be picked in order to ensure the medicine can do its job for the end user as intended. The next level of security
includes the addition of covert packaging technologies. Covert security features are those that can only be read using a reading device, such as an eye glass or UV light and provide companies with track and trace capabilities. There are a selection of clever solutions that can be embedded
There is no single way to combat counterfeited pharmaceuticals. There are many levels of security that all need protecting
into the hologram onthe pack, which can then be verified by trained agents in the field throughout the supply chain. These features include laser replayable messages, UV fluoresence, micro text, nano text and nano maps, all of which require special tools to read them. The pharmaceutical manufacturer and the packaging supplier can work together to create a security hologram that suits the design and functionality of the product and the level of sophistication of the supply chain. Forensic features can also be used which need special equipment in a laboratory to see them. So when it comes to security
solutions for pharmaceutical products, it really can be a life or death decision with no single cure. A multi-layered security approach is required which can help to make replication as difficult as possible and unprofitable for the counterfeiter. In addition, all overt or covert markers can be used in conjunction with track and trace capabilities to make verification easier and improve supply chain integrity.
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