Fake pharmaceuticals are a global problem, making up the world’s largest fraud market at over $200 billion a year. Laava’s Smart Fingerprints technology will now be doing its part to help fight fake pharmaceuticals, assisting Australian nutraceuticals company Biogency to protect its products from counterfeiters.
Laava Smart Fingerprints feature on the labels of four of Biogency’s nutraceuticals: Synext, Piliant, VMAN and Beauty Skin.
“The problem with counterfeit goods, apart from damaging the brand reputation and revenue of growers and manufacturers selling the real thing, is that they are untested, unregulated, and ultimately unsafe,” said Gavin Ger, commercial director and joint-CEO of Laava.
“The problem has only been compounded in the last couple of years with the growing trend for health supplements in the wake of the Covid pandemic.”
Biogency’s Australian-made products are all approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), and its products are in high demand, available for sale in pharmacies and health stores in Australia, online, and in South East Asian export markets.
Due to its sales success, Biogency says it has become the target of lookalikes and counterfeits in international markets, especially since its formulations came to the attention of health influencers in the region.
Counterfeiters apply fake labels to substandard products, which are not assured by the TGA, creating a risk for consumers who purchase the fakes, the company says.
So, when Jimmy Tang, marketing and sales director at Biogency, decided to take action against the counterfeiters, he sought a multi-layered approach.
The result is an on-product label with a powerful combination of the secure and scannable Laava Smart Fingerprints, and the ability to match the batch number on the packaging with the batch number on the results screen. The Australian Made tick gives further assurance.
“Since using Laava Smart Fingerprints, the feedback from Biogency customers has been very positive,” Tang said.
“The unique design of the Laava Smart Fingerprints, and the scanning experience, makes Biogency products stand out from other products that use traditional QR codes.”
When Biogency customers scan a Laava Smart Fingerprint on Synext, Piliant, VMAN or Beauty Skin, they see a results screen that shows the product is genuine – verifying that the product is not a counterfeit or fake.
Customers will also receive valuable information about the product, like where it was packed, its batch number and expiry date, features and benefits, and some background on Biogency and Australia Made.
Along with Biogency’s marketing team and Australia Made, Laava also partnered with MCC Label to deliver the engaging labels that feature scannable Laava Smart Fingerprints.
MCC Label is a global supplier of premium label solutions and part of Laava’s partner program, working with the company on some of its most successful projects to date, including its Tamburlaine Organic Wines campaign.
