This is the real thing for pharma manufacturers

How manufacturers can meet consumer safety regulations, protect their brand and maintain profits by Richard Nemesi, Videojet Technologies

Counterfeit products entering the supply chain is a serious problem that has long affected the pharmaceutical industry. These drugs can contain ineffective or even harmful ingredients posing a threat to consumer safety. Additionally, counterfeit drugs cost the pharmaceutical industry billions of dollars each year and can erode priceless commodities – brand reputation and consumer trust.

These safety concerns have given rise to regional and global regulations requiring strict product serialisation that allow products to be quickly and accurately traced throughout the supply chain. With that in mind, now is the time for pharmaceutical manufacturers to leverage the coding and marking solutions within their packaging operations to help prevent counterfeiting.

In order to make the best choices, there are key factors to consider such as optimal technology and line integration. High-quality, permanent coding will allow pharmaceutical manufacturers to ensure regulatory compliance and consumer safety, while also maintaining operational efficiency and protecting brand integrity.

Coding & marking solutions

Regulations introduced over the past several years significantly increase the amount of information required on pharmaceutical products. Additionally, it is important to consider that the information must be presented in both human and machine readable formats. The good news is that recent advances have yielded solutions across a variety of coding technologies to meet the challenges of the pharmaceutical industry, including Thermal Inkjet (TIJ), Laser, Print & Apply Labeling (LPA), Thermal Transfer Overprinter (TTO), and Continuous Inkjet (CIJ).

TIJ is generally used to print high resolution traceability information including 2D DataMatrix codes – the standard machine readable code carrier for a wide range of regional and country-specific serialisation requirements – onto packaging commonly found in pharmaceutical operations. The printer fires tiny ink drops through fine-gauge nozzles onto packaging as it passes the printhead.

Traditionally, TIJ was well-suited to printing high-quality text and bar code and marking labels on porous substrates. However, recent innovation in TIJ technology has made it possible to code on a range of non-porous substrates including blister lidding foils, pouches and other flexible materials. TIJ is also ideal for carton coding, offering high throughput for the dense coding applications typical of on saleable unit. Additionally, printheads can be stacked to create large images suitable for the sides of cases and other porous substrates.

Laser marking can also be used to create high resolution 2D bar codes as well as human legible codes. Laser is an ideal choice for creating permanent coding on a variety of pharmaceutical packaging. Laser marking uses a beam of infrared light focused and steered with a series of carefully controlled small mirrors to create marks where the heat of the beam interacts with the packaging surface. A variety of laser sources such as CO2, fiber and UV, enable laser coding to be effective on an array of pharmaceutical packaging like cartons, bottles, vials and labels.

TTO is best-suited for marking flexible packaging such as pouches and barrier materials, offering high quality codes from date, lot, and time stamps to more complex codes such as bar codes, use warnings, and ingredients lists. TTO systems use a digitally controlled printhead to precisely melt ink from a ribbon directly onto flexible films, providing high-resolution, real-time prints. Marking directly on labels frequently requires integration with labelling equipment, which yields high quality, precisely positioned codes. TTO offers a simple method of direct contact coding on labels before application to the bottle or packaging.

CIJ systems can be used to print on a wide variety of packaging. CIJ technology is a fluid-based, non-contact printing method, capable of up to five lines of text, linear and 2D barcodes. Fast print speeds and a range of application-specific make CIJ a strong option for challenging pharmaceutical packaging applications. CIJ can also be used in bottle and vial applications, printing in a range of visible inks, UV and other invisible inks for covert coding.

To meet increased demand for high grade coding downstream on packaging lines, such as bundles and corrugate cases, Print and Apply Labelers (LPA) automatically prints and places labels of various sizes onto packaging. LPA can help pharmaceutical manufacturers ensure accurate label placement and high resolution coding. This enables supply chain partners to easily identify products through highly accurate, clearly readable information on shipping cases, contributing to effective supply chain management.

In-line Integration

The next step is knowing where and how to best implement serialisation solutions. Coding solutions can be acquired as components of broader packaging solutions such as cartoners, starwheels, bottlers, and thermoformers, or they can be retrofitted into existing equipment. Incorporating coding solutions properly along the packaging line can go a long way in increasing the overall efficiency of a manufacturing operation. 

Cartoner

Coding can take place in several locations within the equipment, integrated into the cartoner, itself, or on the outfeed conveyor. Integrating the printer into a cartoner provides great product control and the additional benefit of applying the code after the product has been inserted into the carton.

Sidegrip conveyor

The sidegrip conveyor can be used to mark visible and covert codes on the top or bottom of bottles, as well as carrying out code verification immediately downstream. Printing on the bottom of the bottle can help protect the code and minimise its impact on the aesthetics of the pack.

Bottle labeller

Many coding technologies can be utilised for contact or non-contact marking of the label before application, ensuring high-quality alphanumeric and bar code printing.

Vial/ampule starwheel

A starwheel is ideal for ensuring accurate placement on small packaging, due to the improved product control of the equipment.

Checkweigher

The checkweigher’s performance properties, such as precise material handling at high production speeds can be used to improve overall print and DataMatrix quality.

Thermoformer

Coders can be integrated with thermoformer equipment, allowing high quality marking on web-based materials, including blister lidding foils and other barrier films.

As counterfeit drugs continue to pose a problem for the pharmaceutical industry and serialisation regulations are growing more widespread. As such, companies throughout the supply chain are under pressure to comply with traceability requirements in order to protect consumer safety and uphold brand reputation, while ensuring operational efficiency to maintain their bottom line.

To achieve high coding and marking standards, manufacturers need to understand the wide range of technologies available for their needs, as well as packaging types and substrates. While it might seem like a daunting task, experienced providers are prepared to support manufacturers with guidance, ensuring product authenticity, regulatory compliance, and overall operational efficiency.