Tamper evident labeling against fraud
Whether it’s medicine, food or cosmetics: when opening certain products, we really want to be sure that they have not been tampered with. Since February 2019, over-the-counter medicines must be tamper-proof, or tamper evident proof. It is one of the security features within serialization of the European Parliament to combat counterfeit medicines. In this post, we take you into the world of tamper evident labels, show you how labeling works and how the pharmaceutical industry is fighting drug fraud.
Security labels
To ensure that people recognize when the product has been opened without authorization, the package must be visibly and irreversibly damaged when it is first opened. This is where security labels or tamper evident labels come into play. On the box you see a tamper evident label. It tears when you open it. Or, in other words, good security and insurance for what you are buying.
Types of tamper evident labels
Paper labels
When tampered with, the labels tear or laminate.
Invalid labels
Upon removal, the adhesive layer is visibly destroyed and a hidden warning message or pattern appears.
Self-destructing labels
These are made of laminating film. When the label is removed, the top material is destroyed, leaving visible pieces of label that are very difficult to remove from the package.
Perforated labels
When opened, the label is visibly destroyed along the perforation line.
All tamper evident labels are available in color, but also transparent. This has the advantage that the label is less directly visible and the text on the packaging remains legible, even when it is covered.
On the box you will see a transparent tamper evident label that detaches when the packaging is opened, no longer sticks and damages the packaging. This gives the medicine user the guarantee that the box has not been opened since production.
How does a tamper evident label system work?
There are always three packages that are fraudulently labeled.
- Primary packaging: the product itself
- Secondary packaging: box with multiple products
- Tertiary packaging: pallet or large box with several secondary packaging for transportation
There is a different machine for each application, as everything depends on the shape, size and what needs to be labeled. On the left you see a primary packaging, in the middle a secondary packaging and finally a tertiary packaging in a labeling system.
What challenge does the pharmaceutical industry face in terms of labeling?
Counterfeiting and manipulation is always lurking. The pharmaceutical industry must always guard against this. This requires that packaging always becomes smarter and continues to improve so that we ordinary people can always assume that our medicines are safe. In addition, the industry must also do its part to make packaging more sustainable.
