Unique laser coding technology to fight falsified medicines

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical technology
• Materials science
• Laser technology

Background:

• Counterfeit medicines pose a significant threat, accounting for 10% of the global drug trade per WHO statistics.
• European Union Directive 2011/62/EU mandates unique identification for tracking and tracing drugs to prevent falsified medicines in the legal supply chain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a technology for directly marking individual traceability codes onto tablet surfaces.
• To enable drug authentication using camera-enabled mobile phones and a dedicated application.
• To protect patients from counterfeit drugs through surface-marked identification.

Main Methods:

• Investigated the effects of different laser types on tablet film coating during laser marking.
• Evaluated chemical degradation of the polymer film caused by laser interventions.
• Focused on developing a reliable method for unique identification on solid coated tablets.

Main Results:

• The excimer UV laser demonstrated the least chemical degradation of the polymer film compared to other laser types.
• This indicates suitability for direct, non-damaging marking on tablet surfaces.
• The findings support the development of efficient and reliable laser marking solutions for drug traceability.

Conclusions:

• The excimer UV laser is the most suitable instrument for anti-counterfeiting coding on solid coated tablets.
• This technology can contribute to preventing falsified medicines from entering the legal supply chain.
• Direct laser marking on tablets offers a promising approach for ensuring drug authenticity and patient safety.