Newman enhances security of label reconciliation

London, UK-based Newman Labelling Systems has introduced a faulty label removal (FLR) system which allows drugmakers to ensure that labels which do not meet specifications are removed and accounted for.

Full label reconciliation is a requirement for pharmaceutical Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) for pharmaceuticals and medical devices, and is primarily used to ensure that the correct labels - with the correct lot number and expiry date - have been applied to the final container.

However, from a security perspective it also prevents labels from being misappropriated for fraud or counterfeiting purposes

Many FLR products read labels after they have been attached to containers, so when faults are encountered the entire package has to be rejected, according to Newman, which says its system removes faulty labels prior to application to a container.

“Newman isn’t the first to introduce a system to remove faulty labels, but we have spent longer in R&D and designed a system that we believe is superior,” commented the firm’s managing director John Clayton.

The FLR system securely identifies faulty labels prior to application onto the container, and transfers them to a paper roll for full, physical batch reconciliation and inspection.

“The problem with systems currently in the market is that many have to slow the labelling machine down to remove the faulty label prior to application,” according to Clayton.

In addition, some systems accumulate faulty labels on top of each other on a sleeve, making physical reconciliation impossible, he said.