Pharmaceutical Package Authentication Using Internal Product Identifiers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current pharmaceutical authentication systems fail to provide 100% security for primary packaging, such as blisters, as they can be easily refilled with counterfeit products, and existing serialization methods are prone to tampering and copying, leading to significant losses due to counterfeiting.
Innovation Solution
A true authentication system using truly random coding based on physical authentication of pharmaceutical products, combined with overt and covert features, which allows self-authentication through imaging and cryptographic verification, forming a blockchain-like structure across the supply chain without relying on external databases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If labels or holograms are attached to packages for authentication, then tracking capability is improved, but security against tampering deteriorates because they can be separated from the product
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple authentication features (holograms, optically variable inks, fluorescent dyes, and machine readable codes) into a single integrated label structure that is laminated to the package, making it difficult to separate or tamper with individual components while maintaining all tracking and verification capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication label uses composite materials including multiple ink types with different optical properties (optically variable inks, fluorescent dyes), holographic elements, and machine readable code structures, creating a multi-layered security system that is resistant to counterfeiting and tampering
2Loss of information
If serialization codes are printed on packaging, then traceability is improved, but vulnerability to copying and tampering increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different quality levels of authentication features at different locations and layers: machine readable codes provide basic traceability, while optically variable inks and holograms provide higher-security anti-counterfeiting protection, creating a hierarchical defense system where copying one element does not compromise the entire authentication system
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication system utilizes parameters that are difficult to replicate, such as the optical properties of special inks that change characteristics under different lighting conditions, and the precise physical and chemical properties of holographic elements, making copying and tampering detectable through parameter verification
3Reliability
If central databases are used to verify package codes, then authentication capability is improved, but system complexity and dependency on external infrastructure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication label is designed to be self-verifying through its inherent physical and optical properties, allowing verification without requiring connection to external databases. The machine readable codes and security features contain embedded verification information that can be checked locally, reducing dependency on complex external infrastructure while maintaining authentication capability
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Provides high-confidence authentication of pharmaceutical products at any point in the supply chain, significantly reducing counterfeiting by ensuring that the physical content matches the printed codes, and eliminating the need for database access, thus enhancing security and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
scanning equipment including a camera that images the codings of the pharmaceutical products and of the one or more packaging levels
Data Source
AI summary
An authentication system reads at random or in a predetermined sequence a few, typically 3 to 5, unique product identifiers inside the package to decide whether the content is authentic or not. This cross-referencing check does not require a database connection to a central repository or database. The unique product identifiers are produced when pharmaceutical products are manufactured using embossing, for example, and a product sequence is defined by physical attributes and locations of pharmaceutical products in the packaging, the product sequence then being encrypted and used to mark the packaging of the one or more packaging levels with a coding. The coding is used to authenticate the products in the packaging downstream in the supply chain.