Counterfeit pharmaceuticals are one of the most critical issues facing the industry today. Rather than merely reacting to the industry issues surrounding counterfeiting, the packaging services business of Catalent Pharma Solutions has been proactive in planning, implementing and evaluating technologies and procedures to combat this critical problem.
Anti-counterfeiting and Track and Trace Solutions
Counterfeit products are a major challenge facing the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and consumer health industry. Whether from sub-standard ingredients, improper labeling and packaging of products, or adulterated medications, counterfeit products can dramatically impact the quality and the costs of healthcare globally. The World Health Organization estimates that in developed countries, up to 1% of drug sales are counterfeit. This figure rises to 10% of drug sales in under developed countries. Learn more…
To eliminate the threat of counterfeit medications, governments and industry groups around the world are passing and reviewing legislation to prompt action to secure the supply chain.
Many governments and regulatory bodies have passed or are drafting legislation that will require all drugs to be uniquely tracked and traced as they pass from manufacturers to distributors to pharmacies or hospitals. This is to ensure authenticity. In the United States, several states are reviewing “ePedigree” laws that would require manufacturers and distributors to provide electronic records of sale for each drug unit.
Catalent’s Track & Trace Solutions
As the industry moves towards implementing technology to support ePedigree, Catalent stands ready with proven track and trace solutions:
An early adopter of track and trace solutions, Catalent was the first contract manufacturer to fully pilot the two technologies utilized for track and trace: radio frequency identification and two dimensional barcodes.
Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID)
Catalent has the capability to manufacture RFID enabled labels for pharmaceutical manufacturers as well as the capability to tag and encode products with item specific data at our major packaging facilities.
Two Dimensional (2D) Barcoding Technology (Serialized Barcodes)
Catalent also has the capability of adding serialized 2D barcodes to individual products so that they can be uniquely tracked. This is particularly important for biologic products when RFID cannot be utilized or as a backup or redundant system to RFID. Through our strategic alliance partnership with Secure Symbology, Inc. (www.securessymbology.com), a leading vendor of track and trace solutions, we can provide this service.
Catalent’s Overt and Covert Authentication Solutions
In addition to Track & Trace technologies, Catalent also has experience incorporating novel anti-counterfeiting features into the secondary packaging of drugs. Some of these features are overt, allowing consumers to confirm the authenticity of products themselves, while others are covert, allowing supply chain partners and manufacturers to verify product authenticity with specialized equipment. A chart outlining our capabilities is illustrated below.
| Brand security capability | Covert | Overt | Product | Cartons | Labels | Inserts/Outserts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product risk assessment | ||||||
| Drug formulation | • | • | • | |||
| Package design | — | • | — | — | — | — |
| Security papers | ||||||
| Chemical-reactive paper | • | • | — | • | • | |
| Fibers and threads | • | • | — | • | • | |
| Security inks and printing | ||||||
| Taggants | • | — | • | • | ||
| Reactive inks | • | • | • | • | • | |
| Color-shifting inks | • | • | • | • | — | |
| Mircro printing | • | — | • | • | • | |
| Optical variable devices | ||||||
| Holograms | — | • | • | • | — | |
| Track and trace technology | ||||||
| 2D-bar Codes | • | • | • | • | • | • |
| RFID tagging | • | — | • | • | • | • |
Contact us to learn more about how our anti-counterfeiting solutions can help protect your products. For more information, click on “Contact us” or contact a member of our Sales Staff toll free at 866.720.3126