Counterfeit pharmaceutical products are not only a health risk for patients, they are harmful to the economy. Faller Packaging has developed a solution that protects both consumers and manufacturers: digital printing of labels with high-quality security ink. 

Trafficking in counterfeit pharmaceuticals is a serious problem, and in the worst case it can be a cause of death. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), about ten percent of the drugs sold worldwide are low-quality fakes. The consequences are impairment of health, accompanied by declining trust in pharmaceutical products and dissatisfaction with health systems. Considerable financial losses are also possible. 

There are now a number of ways to protect patients and drug brands against counterfeiting. The EU has introduced increased protection by requiring first-opening indication and serialisation. Faller Packaging is helping pharmaceutical manufacturers by offering labels with concealed security features. 

Expertise in digital printing
Faller, which specialises in folding cartons, leaflets, labels and combination products, uses digital printing and a special invisible ink for security. The company has been making use of digital printing technology for many years. “We are applying this know-how with our new labels, thus offering our customers a simple means of counterfeit protection that they can implement in a short time,” says product manager Benjamin Rist. Faller Packaging can combine several layers of security elements on one label and apply them in a single process. 

Digital printing has many advantages, especially with small batches. Short lead times reduce the time to market and enable users to react quickly to changes in demand. No compromises are necessary when it comes to quality. Digital printing also has big advantages in terms of efficiency and sustainability. There is no waste paper or printing plates. Energy consumption and CO₂ emissions are low. In addition, users benefit from low material rejects and minimal costs for retouching.

Effective and easy to implement
For more effective protection of labels and medications, Faller Packaging can now also equip labels with concealed security features. For this purpose its digital printing experts use a high-quality security ink that is only available via the HP supply chain. The key characteristic of this special ink is that it can be seen only under UV light. Invisible text, variable data, codes and symbols can easily be added and even combined in a single process. All common papers and films are possible. And what about the printed labels? They are lightfast for three years and are resistant to temperatures up to 130° C. “In addition to counterfeit protection we aimed for flexibility and simple handling,” says Benjamin Rist. “Users can attach these labels anywhere and to any kind of surface, curved or flat. They can do it manually or automatically, on primary or secondary packaging.” 

Sample orders and further information can be found on our website

PDF Press Release