How QR Codes Are Revolutionizing The Pharmaceutical Industry
QR codes roared into the world in 1994 and were initially used by the automotive industry on vehicle parts and accessories. For a while, it appeared that everywhere you went, someone was using a QR code for something. During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, QR codes were extensively used by governments and companies worldwide.
QR stands for quick response, and scanning a QR code with your smartphone typically sends you to an online destination to complete an action, such as leaving a review, entering a competition, or accessing more information about a product.
QR codes have also proven to be a significant tool for the pharmaceutical industry. Check out our 3D Screen Printing Technology blog to read more about how Laxxon Medical utilizes QR technology in pharmacology.
3 Ways that the Pharmaceutical Industry Is Successfully Utilizing QR Codes
1. Access to Accurate Information and Cost Savings
We have all purchased some pharmaceutical product or medication. But unfortunately, the amount of information that needs to be delivered along with the product is often substantial. So, how do you get pages and pages of accurate information from point A to point B? Sure, you can print it out in really small writing, but using QR codes are a much better strategy.
QR codes allow manufacturers to give doctors, nurses, and patients access to unlimited information and can save on printing and packaging costs.
2. Tracking and Security
Understandably, drugs and vaccines can travel long distances from the point of manufacture to the point of sale. It’s a long journey with many steps along the way. Therefore, tracking any medical product or drug along its journey is vital, especially considering the rise in the number of prescription drug theft, fraud and tampering instances.
Suppose there was something defective, contaminated, or faulty about one chemical within a particular product that was manufactured in a certain city. In that case, tracking enables authorities to identify where the fault may have occurred and also allows them to identify other products in the batch which may need to be recalled.
Patients or customers can also access more information and can ensure that the drugs or products they use are authentic. As the number of counterfeit medicines and medical products continues to rise, peace of mind knowing that you’re using a legitimate product is reassuring.
QR codes allow manufacturers, suppliers, and government bodies to track all drugs and medical products from their creation to their final delivery to a patient.
3. Patient Safety
Knowing what drug interactions occur when taking multiple medications is vital to healthcare workers such as doctors, nurses, and pharmacists. In addition, ready access to accurate and up-to-date patient information in any healthcare setting is essential.
QR codes linked to patient information allow healthcare to instantly know what drugs someone was taking, when they took them, and how much they took. It also allows them to see potential interactions and possible side effects when built into a patient’s medical record.
QR Codes in the Pharmaceutical Industry Help Save Lives
While there are many ways that QR codes are used throughout the world, QR code applications in the medical and health industry could ultimately save someone’s life. They allow accurate tracking from the point of manufacture through to the point of sale and provide additional reassurances to patients.
Laxxon Medical Corp. has formulated SPID®-Technology (Screen Printing Innovative Drug Delivery Technology), which is a patented 3DSP process for printing pharmaceuticals to a mass market that can improve complex drug delivery systems.
This technology has been able to print QR codes on tablets and can be incorporated into the manufacturing process.
Through this approach, the QR code is now part of the singular production for the tablet. 3DSP can be used to print an API holding QR codes and/or links to make it difficult to counterfeit, simpler to identify, and improves product safety.
Laxxon Medical is dedicated to engineering patented 3D pharmaceutical solutions which optimize products and benefit patients. We aim to establish SPID®-Technology as a manufacturing process with the individual and the pharmaceutical partner in mind.