STUTTGART, Germany, July 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The proportion of counterfeit products is reported recently from the European commission to be rapidly increasing. There are figures to back this up, showing that manufacturers of high-quality products, including those in the pharmaceutical industry, are among the worst hit. In addition to the harm caused to pharmaceutical manufacturers through damage to their image and loss of sales, the health risks for patients is of paramount importance here. Movianto GmbH together with identif GmbH have developed a solution: by adopting the DNA coding method the pharmaceutical products become secure.

The healthcare logistics provider Movianto, in collaboration with identif GmbH, is working to eliminate drug counterfeiting. Manufacturers have the possibility to mark their valuable products with an anti counterfeit label. "If you want to protect your brand from misuse and guard it against loss of image, reliably and effectively, you must always remain one step ahead of the criminals," states Marcus Weichert, Managing Director of identif GmbH. "For this reason, we have specialised in safety markings that are regarded as providing an extremely high level of protection against counterfeiting - DNA markings."

The innovative procedure makes it possible to track the distribution path of the drug from the manufacturer to the patient. To achieve this, two single strands of synthetically produced DNA are used. Due to their unique sequence of DNA building blocks, these strands fit together as a key fits in a lock. One of the single DNA strands (lock) is integrated into a safety label. The second complementary DNA strand (key) is located in a detection pen, provided separately. When the two individual DNA strands come together, an extremely specific hybridisation takes place, means that the 2 single strands are united to a complete DNA strand. If the product is genuine, the scanner will emit a positive signal.

"By using DNA coding, pharmaceutical manufacturers will be able to do more than simply guarantee to their customers that the products are genuine," explains Conor Roche, Managing Director, Movianto Group. "This process will also enable manufacturers to depict the paths of the drugs in a transparent manner and to trace these."

Movianto GmbH Neckartalstrasse 155 70376 Stuttgart Germany Tel: +49(0)711-900-597-900 Fax: +49(0)711-900-597-910 http://www.movianto.com

Movianto GmbH: Neckartalstrasse 155, 70376 Stuttgart, Germany, Tel: +49(0)711-900-597-900, Fax: +49(0)711-900-597-910