Medical packaging faces many challenges, and counterfeiting is perhaps the most serious. Counterfeit medicines pose various threats and result in a significant loss of money for Big Pharma every year.
And the threat shows no signs of slowing, with the global counterfeit drugs market believed to be worth up to $432 billion.
Thankfully, steps are being taken to combat the issue. In this guide, Origin explores why anti-counterfeiting is important for pharmaceutical brands, anti-counterfeiting efforts in the pharmaceutical packaging industry, and what future efforts are expected to look like.
What Is Anti-Counterfeiting Packaging in Pharma?
Counterfeit medicines are any drugs that have deliberately and fraudulently been mislabelled. This covers a full range of criminal efforts:
- Drugs with incorrect labels
- Drugs with incorrect expiry dates
- Fake packaging for medicine
- Medicine with the right ingredients but the wrong dosage is written on the packaging
- Medicine that lacks the active ingredients
The challenge for the pharma industry is that counterfeit products are hard to distinguish from real ones. This is where anti-counterfeiting comes in.
Anti-counterfeiting refers to all the different methods and techniques used to help protect the supply chain of pharmaceutical goods. Strategies are put in place to help limit the number of counterfeit products on the market for consumers and patients to unwittingly purchase.
Pharma companies work with law enforcement agencies to ensure that their products aren’t being copied and that fake versions are not being distributed.
Why Is Anti-Counterfeiting Important for Pharmaceutical Brands?
Anti-counterfeiting is highly important for pharmaceutical brands as counterfeit medicines can pose serious risks to health and safety.
Fake pharmaceuticals often contain incorrect ingredients, contaminated substances, or inaccurate dosages, which can lead to ineffective treatment, harmful side effects, or severe medical complications. As counterfeit products become more sophisticated, protecting end users and maintaining trust within the healthcare industry becomes increasingly important.
Anti-counterfeiting also helps brands to protect their reputation and maintain confidence in their products. Counterfeit medicines can damage brand credibility, disrupt supply chains, and lead to financial losses. As such, anti-counterfeit measures are essential to help reassure consumers that products are genuine and safe to use.
How Does Tamper-Evident Packaging Differ from Anti-Counterfeit Packaging
Tamper-evident packaging and anti-counterfeit packaging are both used to improve product security and somewhat overlap, though they serve different purposes specifically.
Tamper-proof packaging shows visible signs if a product has been opened or interfered with before arriving to the end user. This is most commonly in the form of shrink bands, foil seals, and breakable caps, which reassure customers that the product is safe and untouched.
On the other hand, anti-counterfeit packaging protects brands and consumers from fake products. These solutions often involve security features such as holograms, QR codes, serial numbers, or authentication labels to help verify that a product is genuine.
While tamper-evident packaging signposts product interference, anti-counterfeit packaging is designed to confirm a product’s authenticity and reduce fraud.
The Biggest Challenges in Anti-Counterfeiting
The biggest challenge in anti-counterfeiting is that there are simply so many counterfeit medicines on the market. In fact, the World Health Organisation claims that one million people die each year from taking fake or substandard medicines.
And thanks to online technologies, it’s easier than ever for someone to sell counterfeit medicine over the internet while posing as a legitimate pharmaceutical business. Patients are looking for convenience – they don’t want to visit their doctor, go through the steps to get a prescription and then head to the local pharmacy. This is why they turn to the internet marketplace – and with so many criminals out there distributing fake drugs online, it’s difficult for anti-counterfeiting measures to keep up with them.
Another issue is that technology makes it easier for people to create counterfeit medical products. Consumers and patients don’t always know what to look for when deciding if something is real or not, so more counterfeits enter the supply chain without being detected.
Anti-Counterfeit Solutions for Pharma
With the pharmaceutical industry fighting back against the growing threat of fake drugs, there is a range of solutions being developed to help track legitimate products across the supply chain and highlight fraudulent efforts.
The anti-counterfeit pharmaceuticals packaging market is expected to be worth $290 billion by 2035 as patient safety efforts increase to combat the risks.
Here, we take a look at some of the key technologies leading the way in the anti-counterfeit space:
Serialisation
Serialisation is an anti-counterfeiting method used to distinguish the real from the fake – and it’s one of the easiest tools to implement.
Products are given unique serial numbers that allow them to be traced all the way from the manufacturer to the patient. These numbers are typically shown on the packaging labels as barcodes. This number contains a host of information about that particular product, including:
- Product origin
- Product batch
- Expiry date
As a result, products can be tracked as they move from place to place and exchange hands. This ensures that real items are making their way all the way to the patient – rather than disappearing somewhere along the supply chain.
When you notice that a specific serial number has suddenly become inactive or hasn’t made its way to a patient, then this sounds the alarm bells. The good news is you’ll know where it stopped its original journey, which helps point the finger at potential counterfeiting being done.
Serialisation also helps distinguish fake products from real ones. If a drug doesn’t have a recognisable serial number, then it’s just a pure counterfeit. This method has helped catch out and limit the number of counterfeit products circulating around the world.
Tamper-Proof Packaging
Another way to combat the threat of fake drugs is through tamper-proof packaging.
Tamper-proof solutions are designed to tell the patient when a product has been previously handled or opened. This can include single-use tabs, tape, and labels that cannot be reattached to the container – highlighting when the container has been opened and suggesting the contents may have been tampered with.
Other tamper-proof solutions include Smart Tracking technologies embedded into primary and secondary packaging that log events across a product’s lifespan. This allows every medicine to be interrogated as it is scanned upon dispensing to reveal any unauthorised journey routes or interventions between manufacturer and patient.
The future of anti-counterfeiting in the pharmaceutical industry
The threat of fake drugs will always be present in Big Pharma. The industry is simply too valuable for counterfeits not to be around. However, the future of drug development will undoubtedly be built around the idea of anti-counterfeiting.
Manufacturers are considering various options to help make real drugs more unique and harder to copy.
Innovative technology is being implemented to help track packaging and prevent the loss of genuine medicines through the supply chain. Fake drugs will continue to rise, but the number of anti-counterfeiting measures will increase with them.
There will also be an emphasis on informing the public about counterfeit drugs. Education on what to look for can help cut down on the number of people who unknowingly purchase fake drugs online.
Anti-counterfeiting solutions from Origin
Origin is an industry leader in secure and compliant pharmaceutical packaging, including a range of tamper-proof packaging solutions.
For more information on the future of anti-counterfeiting efforts and how Origin can support you in your journey, speak to our expert team today.
