When you’re looking for pharma packaging solutions your first thought probably isn’t about how these can help prevent counterfeit medication being circulated.

However, a recent article for Packaging Europe outlined how, with some careful design, the packaging on drugs can allow people to tell whether they’re the real deal or counterfeit.

The news provider explained that new technology now exists that can help in the fight against counterfeit drugs. One thing to consider is including a QR code on the boxes of medication being produced.

This will give consumers an easy way to not only check the origin of their medication, but also to provide them with information on how to take their drugs to ensure proper use.

Dr Nadine Lampka, product manager for pharma-security at Schreiner MediPharm, told the website that there are a number of things driving the take up of so-called smart packaging.

“When it comes to smart packaging in general, digitalisation, patient centricity and an outcome-based approach are some of the factors that have increasing impact,” she asserted.

Using serialisation can also be an important way for patients to track the authenticity of their drugs, as well as to look into the whole supply chain if they so wish. Serialisation gives every medication a “unique, secure and traceable identity” CEO of Kezzler Christine Akselsen explained.

In October last year, over £2 million of counterfeit medications were seized in raids by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) as part of a wider operation it was conducting in the UK.