Track & Trace

The affected lot was produced by Strides Pharma Science and marketed in the US by New Jersey-based Strides Pharma Inc. As per the USFDA, the company is recalling the affected lot due to "presence of foreign tablet: 2.5 mg tablet in a 20 mg bottle of Prednisone tablets". The company initiated the Class II voluntary nationwide recall on July 19 this year.

Sustainability is a complex word, reflecting a very complex subject. Defining sustainability as a single concept is a bit like trying to explain smart packaging as a single technology. But while both are multi-faceted, whether or not they are compatible with each other has exercised the minds of packaging and sustainability experts for quite some time. So, let’s take a look.

Although off-label repackaged bevacizumab syringes appear to satisfy an urgent clinical and financial need for patients with a variety of retinal disorders, they are known to be associated with considerable public health concerns due to the risks posed to patients from compounding pharmacies’ lack of compliance with a variety of FDA requirements.

The stimulus-responsive room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials have become an increasingly significant topic in the fields of bioimaging, sensing, and anticounterfeiting. However, this kind of materials is scarce to date, especially for the ones with delicate stimulus-responsive behavior.

SEA Vision and Marchesini Group are launching a solution for primary pack serialisation and aggregation, comprising a complete range of technologies to print, inspect and pack serialised blisters and perform aggregation with cartons, all integrated in a 4.0 environment.

The new flavour is getting the full Coca-Cola Creations digital treatment. On July 9, it appeared on Marshmello’s Twitch channel. Starting on July 25, consumers were able to scan a QR code on the can to reach Coca-Cola Creations’ site. There, “AI technology will transform their emotions while listening to Marshmello’s latest track into a personalized piece of digital art,” said the company.

Using software developed by Zappar, families can find virtual fruit placed in parks and other public green spaces located near them. If they find four pieces of fruit, the participants stand a chance of winning prizes, ranging from reusable branded Robinsons water bottles, family activity packs, money-off vouchers, and more – with special retail promotions at supermarkets.

Integrating an electronic system to trace prescription drug products is the final phase in the DSCSA program, with compliance mandatory by November 2023. The companies are introducing an Authorized Trading Partner (ATP) solution which provides efficient and error-free accreditation of partners within the pharmaceutical supply chain, following manufacture, they claim. Verifying supply chain partners between the point of creation and point of dispensation is an additional layer in protecting the end consumer.

DEEP codes contain both the patient-tailored dose as well as data that can be used to give patients personalized drug information and combat counterfeit medicines. This feature enables the patient or carer to easily identify the medicine, receive customised information and trace the drug product on a standard smartphone.

It attests to the fact that the governments are taking the issue of counterfeit and substandard medicines today extremely seriously.

For many marketing teams and CMOs, Augmented Reality (AR) might not be first on the list of new technologies to implement into the marketing mix. But the fact is, forward looking brands, executives, and marketing teams are already utilizing AR in a variety of ways to reach consumers in new, innovative, and increasingly immersive ways.

2021 was the year that non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, received widespread attention on the internet and entered the corporate world in a significant way. Now, these crypto assets and the blockchain technology that makes them possible may have major real-world applications for supply chain GMP, patient data management, and the future of pharma.

The Centre has decided to amend regulations to allow electronic product makers to make certain mandatory descriptive declarations such as customer care details on the labels of their products through QR codes for one year.

Sea Vision and Marchesini Group are launching a brand-new solution on the market for primary pack serialization and aggregation, comprising a complete range of technologies to print, inspect and pack serialized blisters and perform aggregation with cartons, all within an industry 4.0 environment.

Kerala launched a QR code-aided e-guide to boost tourism at its iconic destination, Fort Kochi, last month. The aim is to give access to visitors relevant information such as distance to the nearest bus-stand, railway station and airport, working hours of a tourist destination and its contact numbers.

Hospira, Inc., a Pfizer company, is voluntarily recalling one lot of Propofol Injectable Emulsion, USP (containing benzyl alcohol), 100 mL Single Patient Use Glass Fliptop Vial; lot DX9067, to the user level due to a visible particulate observed in a single vial during annual examination of retain samples.

Promoted by key players such as Walmart, the industry and global standards organisation GS1 have set a date to make the transition to accepting 2D barcodes at point-of-sale (referred to as ‘Sunrise 2027’). These codes offer increased product information, supply chain transparency, and engagement compared to traditional UPC codes. To achieve this transition a combined effort is required from not only the brand owners and retailers themselves, but standards organisations, industry partners, manufacturers, and Intellectual Property (IP) rights holders.

Most efforts to secure medicine quality currently focus on product regulation. However, our research suggests market mechanisms are key drivers for poor quality medicines, including where political commitments to universal health coverage are under-resourced. We have developed a framework to guide country-specific, system-wide analysis. This can flag risks and pinpoint specific actions to protect medicine quality, and thus health.

The acquisition, announced today, will allow OPTEL to leverage the unit’s expertise in pharmaceutical and agrochemical track-and-trace technologies, provide the company with a second foothold in the European marketplace and contribute to its diversification plans.

Digimarc’s data-driven approach involves assigning each product unit a serialized digital identity that can be tracked in the cloud and accessed through a variety of on-package digital triggers, including the Digimarc digital watermark. The powerful combination of digitized products and cloud-based data makes the process of authenticating items more accurate and scalable than traditional physical authentication measures, according to the company. It recently acquired EVRYTHNG, the creators of the Product Cloud® platform, which is a feature of the new solution.

For the Brand Owners, smart packaging offers a clear and unequivocal path to building a closer relationship with its customers. They really do want to know if what they are buying is authentic, what ingredients have been used, if it’s still safe to consume, or what benefits can be derived from being loyal to a particular brand. On so many other levels such as food safety, medical compliance, tracking & tracing or just being entertained and inspired by the product, smart packaging adds real value. If it’s got to be ’on trend’ then even information on how to recycle the pack can be included.

The ‘use-by’ and ‘best-by’ dates printed on milk containers may soon become a thing of the past, giving way to more accurate and informative QR codes, says a report published recently by Cornell University in the USA.

During the nail-biting finale of the 15th edition of IPL, millions of television viewers were left confused when their screens went hazy. What followed was a QR code on their screens. Quick commerce platform Dunzo flashed a QR code for 20 seconds with a copy that read, “Inconvenience is regretted. Convenience is not.”

QR codes might be benefiting from smartphone usage and touchless technology leaping forward thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic.