PR: Micro-Tracers Inc. announces issuance of US patent for SECURtracers technology

Micro-Tracers, Inc. announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued US Patent 10,175,199 on January 8, 2019. The patent covers the design and manufacturing of SECURtracers as edible, covert tracers used to mark various products, such as solid dosage form drugs or other packaging products or labels. The tracer particle will serve as an authentication tag to determine whether or not any given article in the stream of commerce is authentic (i.e., contains the tracer particle) or counterfeit (i.e., does not contain the tracer particle).

Counterfeit products pose a major threat in many industries, both in the form of public safety as well as pecuniary losses. One industry facing the wide-spread problems of counterfeiting is the pharmaceutical industry. The challenges of controlling counterfeit drugs have increased as pharmaceutical markets become more global with more complex supply chain. These complex supply chains create entry points through which contaminated, adulterated and counterfeit products can infiltrate the drug supply.

"This novel patented proprietary technology offers an edible, covert, on-the-spot and effective authentication solution for fighting fakes within the pharmaceutical supply chain" said Zachary Eisenberg, VP of Micro-Tracers, Inc. "We are confident that Micro-Tracers’ expanding intellectual property estate, including this newly issued patent for SECURtracers, will provide our products with long-term market exclusivity. This is particularly important as industry awareness and acceptance of our SECURtracers and in general PCID technology for use as pharmaceutical anti-counterfeit solution continues to grow."

SECURtracers will allow verification of a drug product ‘on-the-spot’ at the dose level, even when separated from its original packaging. SECURtracers will address the problem of: counterfeiting, product recall and return monitoring, product diversion, and quality control. SECURtracers will help reduce liabilities, prevents loss of revenue, and provide multi-layered brand protection.

Manufacturing these tracers requires extremely specialized semiconductor equipment and technical skills. The difficulty and cost to acquire such equipment and the expertise necessary to operate it pose high barriers to entry for potential counterfeiters. SECURtracers can be easily identified in two easy steps using inexpensive, readily available devices.

With the issuance of this new patent, Micro-Tracers intends to seek potential commercialization partners for SECURtracers in the United States.

About Micro-Tracers, Inc

Since 1961, Micro-Tracers, Inc. has manufactured analytical tracers used for quality assurance purposes by the animal feed industry. They have been formulated by Elanco (Eli Lilly), Zoetis (formerly Pfizer), Merck, and other major drug companies world-wide to identify their products as proprietary. Micro-Tracers manufactures SECURtracers specifically for use in the pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals to combat counterfeiting of proprietary products. The company utilizes semiconductor technology in its manufacturing. Micro-Tracers, Inc. was founded by Dr. Sylvan Eisenberg, a Ph.D. chemist, graduate of Stanford University. Micro-Tracers, Inc. is part of a group including ANRESCO Inc., a commercial analytical laboratory providing analytical, consulting, and research services, primarily to the food industry