A recent survey sponsored by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) and pharmaceutical giant Pfizer revealed almost two-thirds (63%) of 2,000 community, retail and hospital pharmacists surveyed in Europe, the U.S. and Australia believe current policies and technology are insufficient to deal with counterfeit medicines .More than three-quarters of the respondents (77%) believe medicine packages should have machine readable bar codes to ensure they are not counterfeit.
In response to these results the International Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA) has taken up the cause, saying that the pharmaceutical industry needs to do more.
Ian Lancaster, IHMA general secretary, notes that counterfeiting is not only a serious threat to the pharmaceutical industry but puts people’s lives and health at risk. The World Health Organisation estimates that up to 25% of the medicines consumed in some developing countries are counterfeit, or substandard, and that annual earnings from the global sales of fake and substandard medicines are over $32 billion.
And it’s not only a problem in developing countries, since according to the FIP survey 61% of the respondents said the prevalence of counterfeit medication is a serious issue in their country.
Of course the Holographic industry sees the use of holographic foils as a key deterrent to the counterfeiting problem. “One of the key challenges is for manufacturers and producers to stay ahead of the counterfeiters and here holograms can, and indeed are, playing a key role in combating criminal activity,” notes Lancaster.
The foils today, used as seals, labels or as the foil in a blister pack, do not work alone as a deterrent. Holograms can combine visual authentication features with covert forensic and track and trace elements.
A few years ago Malaysia introduced its Meditag serialised hologram label (pictured above) to be found on all registered medicines – traditional and western – which has helped its Ministry of Health inspectors to detect unauthorized and counterfeit product.
“The survey clearly shows that pharmacists feel more has to be done about tackling the counterfeiters and ensuring patients receive safe, effective and bonafide medicines,” says Lancaster.
