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Securing Health with Every Layer: The Role of Labels on Secondary Packaging in Pharma’s Fight Against Falsification.

By Avery Dennison Team, South Asia

Published on 22 May 2025

The Growing Threat of Falsified Medicines

Counterfeit drugs are no longer isolated incidents. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 10 medical products in developing countries is either substandard or falsified.
These aren’t just statistics; they represent patients who may not receive the treatment they desperately need—or worse, are harmed by ineffective or toxic ingredients.

Consider the 2012 case in Pakistan where over 100 cardiac patients died due to counterfeit drugs distributed at a public hospital. The result? National outrage, loss of public trust in the healthcare system, and grieving families—all because safeguards failed at the packaging level.

This is not just a developing world issue. In Europe, falsified cancer medications have made their way into regulated supply chains. The growing sophistication of counterfeiters, coupled with increasingly globalized supply chains, makes it clear: pharma security must start at the surface.

Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD): What It Is and Why It Matters Globally

Introduced by the European Union, the Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) mandates stringent serialization and tamper-evidence requirements for prescription drugs.
Each pack must carry:

A Unique Identifier (UI) – Serialized data embedded in a machine-readable 2D data matrix code.
Tamper-Evident Packaging – Making any attempt at opening or altering the pack clearly visible to patients and pharmacists.

While FMD is a European regulation, its implications are global. Markets outside the EU—including parts of Asia and Latin America—are either adopting similar frameworks or enhancing their systems to match.
For multinational brands, aligning with FMD isn’t just about compliance; it’s about future readiness and protecting consumers everywhere.

Labels on Secondary Packaging: The First Line of Defense

In the fight against falsified medicines, secure labeling on secondary packaging is a pharma brand’s frontline defense.

Labels today are much more than aesthetic wrappers—they are carriers of authentication, traceability, and consumer assurance.

Key innovations include:

Serialized Labels: Ensuring every product is uniquely traceable across its supply chain journey.
Dry-Peel Labels: Concealing sensitive data or codes beneath a peelable surface accessible only by authorized users.
Tamper-Evident Labels: Clearly indicating if a package has been opened or tampered with.
Security Fibres, Threads & Hidden Markers: Embedded within the label material, offering both overt and covert authentication layers.

Avery Dennison’s Dry-Peel Pharma Solutions are a perfect example of intelligent design meeting functionality. These labels safeguard critical information—like patient-specific details or unique product codes—while allowing access when necessary.

Meanwhile, cartons are evolving too, integrating security elements such as holograms, embedded RFID chips, and serialized data, turning them into smart guardians against counterfeiting and diversion.

Protecting What Matters Most: The Patient

At its core, FMD isn’t about logistics—it’s about lives.

For a patient, trust in their medicine is non-negotiable.
When they unbox a medicine and see a secure seal, a clear expiration date, and a scannable code—it reinforces trust in the brand and the healthcare system.

Think of an elderly patient managing multiple prescriptions:

Tamper-evident labels prevent harmful medication errors.
Clear serialization ensures batch traceability in case of recalls.
Simple scanning enables faster, safer verification.

For caregivers, pharmacists, and healthcare providers, robust labeling reduces risk, builds confidence, and simplifies patient care.

The Consumer Perspective: Visibility, Assurance & Responsibility

Today’s consumers are informed, vigilant, and digitally connected. They increasingly expect:

Visibility: Where was this medicine made? How did it travel?
Assurance: Has anyone tampered with my product?
Responsibility: Is this packaging sustainable?

Digitally intelligent labels—QR codes, NFC chips—are ushering in a new era of patient engagement.
Now, a simple smartphone scan can reveal a medicine’s journey, verify its authenticity, and even offer dosage or safety information.

In India, several pharmaceutical brands have piloted QR-enabled medicine packs, empowering patients to verify authenticity using government-supported apps—closing the gap between technology and trust.

Avery Dennison’s Role in Enabling Pharma Security

At Avery Dennison, we engineer labels that go beyond expectations, seamlessly blending security, sustainability, and compliance.

Our key offerings include:

Dry-Peel Labels: Multi-layer labels that secure patient-specific information and authentication data.
Tamper-Evident Solutions: Immediate visual cues if packaging has been compromised.
Serialized Label and Carton Solutions: Integrated traceability from manufacturing floor to end consumer.

From our Select Solutions Dry Peel Pharma Portfolio to Low Migration Adhesives, Avery Dennison products are purpose-built for:

Protecting patient safety
Supporting FMD and local regulatory compliance
Driving sustainability with recyclable facestocks and responsible sourcing

Because pharma security is not just about protection—it’s about progress.

Future Forward: Connected Packaging and Digital Authentication

The future of pharmaceutical labeling is evolving rapidly.

Imagine:

RFID-enabled packs allowing pharmacies to scan entire inventories in seconds
QR codes linking patients to verified sources and medication guides
Temperature-Sensitive Labels that alert to storage breaches

As global markets move toward harmonized regulatory standards, digital authentication will become an essential, not optional, layer of pharmaceutical packaging.

With Avery Dennison, brands are prepared to meet this future—today.

Conclusion: Securing Health with Every Layer

From raw material sourcing to final packaging, every layer must contribute to security, trust, and care.

At Avery Dennison, we believe that a label isn’t just an outer wrap—it’s a promise of authenticity, safety, and responsibility.

Through smart materials, sustainable choices, and compliance-driven innovation, we’re helping pharmaceutical brands secure health with every peel, every print, and every pack.

Because in healthcare, there’s no room for error.

Avery Dennison: Making Possible™.

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Securing Health with Every Layer: The Role of Labels on Secondary Packaging in Pharma’s Fight Against Falsification.