A security label embedded with star-shaped barcodes has been launched to help protect pharma products.
Called StellaGUARD, the label technology is from serialisation, authentication, and track and trace technology services company Covectra.
The label is embedded with stars that are arranged in unique and random patterns, and contain a serialised GS1 2D barcode.
The barcode enables real-time authentication and serialised pedigree tracking through the use of a mobile app, also developed by Covectra.
The StellaGUARD label can be applied to virtually any package and material, says the company.
The product was developed in anticipation of the EU's 2019 Falsified Medicines Directive requirement for tamper-evident seals on all pharma and OTC primary packages.
The label is integrated with Covectra's EPCIS Certified AuthentiTrack database, which manages over two billion serial numbers.
This enables the label to be used not just for rapid authentication, but also for diversion detection and isolation, it claims.
"Our patented solution offers two layers of protection, leveraging the benefits of a barcode and connecting it with an image of a random pattern of 'stars' embedded in a label, providing instantaneous authentication and copy-detect protection," Steve Wood, Covectra president, says.
"Since barcodes can be easily copied, this new solution makes counterfeiting virtually impossible, which is especially critical for the pharmaceutical industry," he added.
Using smartphone technology, a user can scan the 2D barcode with a mobile device, and a photographic image is taken with the phone.
The app's software then identifies and validates the barcode.
Upon authentication, product information and customised marketing messages can also be displayed by the brand owner.
This story was sourced from the Active & Intelligent Industry Packaging Association. To learn more: www.aipia.info
