The Smedpack research collaboration is going to produce security solutions which prevent counterfeit medicines entering the legal distribution chain. The new packaging concept will make it easier for consumers to distinguish genuine products from fake ones.
Counterfeit medicines are a growing global problem which is putting people's lives at danger and compromising security. One factor contributing to the counterfeiting problem is the lack of cooperation throughout the distribution chain from producer to consumer. The fact that many people are now choosing to buy medicines online means that the stage where all controls take place is also disappearing, leaving responsibility with the consumer. However, despite the fact that the majority of the medicines which are currently sold online are counterfeit, not many people check that the seller is an approved pharmacy.
Smedpack is a collaborative project which will contribute to counteracting counterfeit medicines through concepts for secure pharmaceutical packaging. The concepts might consist of secure seals, elements with unique serial numbers, apps or other solutions which make it easier for users in different parts of the chain to check the genuineness of pharmaceutical packaging. The ambition is for the solutions to be industrially realisable, and that they will represent new commercial opportunities which will produce export revenue.
The project has aroused considerable interest from the public as well as from the business world, and is now receiving an additional 7 million from Vinnova to take the step from concept to commercial solutions. The collaboration, which is coordinated by the Innventia research institute, involves some 30 partners. They include companies throughout the entire value chain from materials manufacturers and logistics to pharmacies, as well as authorities, universities and interest organisations. In the new, so-called third stage, great importance is placed on internationalisation issues, which is why including partners such as the Swedish Customs Service and the Police Authority is of major significance to the project.
Since its inception in 2012, Smedpack has looked at around 40 different concepts. Of these, three demonstrators of security solutions have been produced in conjunction with designers and companies producing flexible packaging, cardboard box manufacturers and manufacturers of plastic containers. The solutions, which have been developed with security in mind, can also have positive bioeffects in the form of better ergonomics in hospitals.
"Collaboration throughout the entire value chain is crucial in identifying weak points and arriving at solutions. It is gratifying to note that our method of working has also generated growth through new collaborative constellations and business transactions", says project manager Erik Blohm, Innventia.
