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Drug firms will be able to assure physicians and patients that they are receiving authentic products via the use of covert technology, a company claims.
US-based firm Kodak says its Traceless System for anticounterfeiting will help combat the rising impact of counterfeit drugs.
Steve Powell, director of security solutions at Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group, said with the Traceless System drug companies could quickly and easily distinguish genuine medications from dangerous fakes.
The system used forensically undetectable markers that could be incorporated into printed materials or product packaging. The markers could only be detected using secure, handheld Kodak readers.
Mr Powell explained: “Counterfeit prescription drugs quickly spread across the world markets, creating a substantial problem for government regulators, pharmaceutical brands and patients.
“The Kodak Traceless System helps put counterfeiters out of business by making it virtually impossible to replicate the products we protect.”
He said Kodak had also implemented anticounterfeiting solutions for customers in the consumer electronics, cosmetics, wine, clothing and other markets.
Mr Powell said the Traceless System was ideal for protecting a range of products and packaging materials because markers could be mixed with inks, toners, varnishes and other substances used in analogue and digital printing, as well as paper pulp, plastics, powders, pigments, liquids and textiles.
Kodak’s covert authentication technology could also form a component of an “ePedigree” system. For example, markers could be added to a barcode printed using common printing methods, such as thermal transfer, to combine the traceability of the barcode with highly secure covert authentication –
at a much lower cost than other technologies such as RFID.
The company is to demonstrate its brand protection and authentication solutions for pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical applications at the INTERPHEX 2008 meeting, set for 26–28 March in Philadelphia, USA.
