Schreiner partners with Q-Med on pharma product security

Swedish medical cosmetics company Q-Med has partnered with Schreiner MediPharm to develop a system to enable authentication of its products.

Q-Med states that more people want to have younger looking skin and trust products that reduce lines and wrinkles, but product counterfeiters are targeting this demand with fake goods sold under the original brand that may contain harmful ingredients. The threat posed by pirated medical products is particularly high in China, it said.

In a nationwide raid in China, counterfeit pharmaceuticals worth US$180 million were confiscated in August 2012, prompting the government and citizens to call for reliable protection of health-relevant products.

To make it possible for doctors and patients to authenticate its anti-wrinkle product, Restylane, Q-Med worked with Schreiner MediPharm to develop a security seal with an encrypted code and further counterfeit-protection features. This was introduced on Restylane products in 2012.

Restylane is a crystal-clear, injectable gel based on hyaluronic acid that is used for restoring lost facial volume, smoothing wrinkles and plumping up lips.

Doctors who administer the treatment receive the product packaged in pre-filled syringes. For authentication purposes, a syringe label with overt and covert security features is applied.

In addition to a security printing image, a 23-digit KeySecure code is printed on the label underneath a scratch field.

To authenticate the product, the doctor or therapist exposes the code by scratching off the cover with a coin or fingernail, dialing the phone number provided on the label, and entering the security code on the phone’s keypad or touchscreen. The authenticity of the product and number of queries are then checked, and the caller immediately receives an automated message informing them of the result.

For further quality assurance and documentation, a barcode referencing the security code is integrated into the label. Undetected tampering with the label is prevented as well.

Q-Med is also able to log important information on user behavior through the system, and indications of specific threats, such as an increasing amount of false codes entered in a particular region.

‘Our customers rely on a product that has been subjected to years of research and testing,’ said Lars Carlson, head of purchasing at Q-Med. ‘This makes it all the more important for us to prevent them from suffering undesirable side effects and health problems by counterfeit products.’

Gene Dul, president of Schreiner MediPharm US, said: ‘The KeySecure tracing system allows products to be tracked anywhere in the world. Aside from the telephonic query, web-based queries are possible too, depending on the manufacturer’s requirements. If desired, we can also make automatic checks using smartphones available.

‘The adhesive that is specifically tailored to this application and security cuts prevent non-destructive removal and relabeling.’

Read more about product authentication and anti-counterfeiting through packaging here

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