Tamper-evident labeler HERMA 362E TE: Sealing of folding boxes

Focus topic: Tamper-evident labeling

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that fifty percent of all medication purchased online today is fake. Counterfeit medicines pose a significant risk to health. In the interests of maximizing profit margins, medication counterfeiters will often reduce the dose of active ingredient, leave it out or replace it with completely ineffective, even dangerous substances. It is not only online retail that represents a risk to users as it is also possible, under certain circumstances, for counterfeit medicines to enter the regular retail chain.

The European Union has taken up the fight against counterfeit and substandard medicines with the Falsified Medicines Directive 2011/62/EU. Prescription medicines can – with very few exceptions – only be placed on the market when bearing the stipulated safety feature and serial number.

The tamper-evident labeler enables compliant pharmaceutical labeling and has been developed to meet the requirements of the Falsified Medicine Directive 2011/62/EU.

Implementing these new measures was a herculean task for the pharmaceutical companies. Manufacturers estimated the costs of this undertaking at several hundred thousand euro – for each product line. When it comes to the continued use of existing folding boxes, seal labels are a particularly interesting option from a cost/benefit perspective.

The special tamper-evident labels provide a reliable seal, thereby ensuring the necessary guarantee and safety. In addition to the control measure, consumers can be safe in the knowledge of acquiring a genuine, high-quality product.

In the past, highly specialized materials were used for the security seals, such as destructible labels, which effectively disintegrate when tampered with, or "void" labels, which leave an irreversible imprint on the packaging when it is opened. These special materials, however, are not well suited to high-speed mechanical application and therefore require significant additional investment on the part of manufacturers.

From an economical and technical perspective, conventional rectangular or round labels are the most favorable solution. The decisive factor, in any case, is the adhesive. It must be highly resistant to water, hot air and various solvents. This is the only way to prevent the label being removed, even from heavily painted boxes, without visibly destroying itself or the folding box.