Pharmaceutical manufacturers already serialise medicines using 2D codes to meet regulatory requirements, but a 2D code can be so much more than a tick box for compliance, explains Ian Chapman…

Extracting 2D code value

While serialisation and track-and-trace requirements are now standard for pharmaceutical products in many developed economies, many businesses are just scratching the surface of what’s possible with serialised 2D codes.

By adopting a patient-focused strategy that looks beyond current applications, businesses can better prepare products for the future of patient health and safety.

Patient-facing improvements

Enhancing patient safety and user experience should always be top of mind when making pharmaceutical packaging decisions, and there are clear opportunities to utilise 2D Data Matrix codes for direct patient engagement, including real-time access to medical information without relying on product packaging or paper patient information leaflets (PILs).

With digital access to PILs via 2D codes, patients can access the information on products and medicines in their preferred formats, and updates can be made in real-time. It’s safer, more accessible, and aligns with how patients increasingly expect to receive information – digitally.

Currently, legislation dictates that a serialised 2D code should be printed on the highest level of packaging – but having a code applied to the primary packaging, or even the individual dose level, offers additional benefits, not least when product information may have been lost or disconnected from the pack.

Emerging benefits of 2D codes in healthcare

The potential benefits of 2D codes are even further reaching when more granular product coding is introduced. Indeed, in economies governed by regulatory serialisation requirements, some hospitals, pharmacies, and healthcare providers are already realising the value of item-level data in protecting patient safety.

Medication errors are one of the leading causes of avoidable harm in healthcare worldwide – it is estimated that an average hospital will have one medication error every 23 hours or every 20 admissions. Adding more granular data to individual doses of medicines can allow for better control within hospitals, care homes, and other healthcare facilities, improving medicine distribution and helping mitigate some of these errors.

A healthcare setting that uses 2D codes on blister packs, for example, can implement automated checks to ensure the right medication is given to the right patient, at the right dose, and within its use-by date. This level of detail decreases dispensing errors, as well as helping to improve inventory management and stock control.

Ultimately, with patient safety a key driver and increasing use of smart and connected devices, the demand for this data and pressure to provide it can only increase.

Advances in connected healthcare and beyond

Consumers are already regularly using connected devices for practical, everyday health management – and the potential for existing packaging-level data to support patient communications should not be overlooked.

The scope of so-called ‘mHealth’ applications, includes apps that monitor specific health conditions, such as remote glucose monitoring for diabetes, as well as general health, wellbeing, and lifestyle management. In 2024 alone, health and fitness app downloads surpassed 3.6 billion. In this increasingly connected world, 2D codes can play an important role.

For example, a patient receiving a prescription medication packaged with a 2D code on the label could scan the code with a designated healthcare app and download customised dosing instructions and reminders directly on their smartphone. The app could then provide the ability to track each dosage or alert the user to potential drug interactions based on their health profile, while a sensor-enabled smartwatch could monitor for potential side effects and share updates with their healthcare provider.

This may seem far-reaching today, but such a world is quickly becoming the reality, and any product equipped with a 2D code solely for regulatory purposes will soon fall short of expectations. Pharmaceutical businesses today have access to a rich pool of product data – working out how to align this data to deliver a more holistic, lifestyle, medical, and health-and-wellbeing experience for consumers is what all businesses should strive for.

Waste reduction

Beyond supporting patient engagement, existing 2D codes have the potential to play an important role in waste reduction, helping to address a significant challenge for the pharmaceutical industry.

By linking 2D codes to information about packaging materials, disposal requirements, and recycling guidance, manufacturers can help patients, pharmacies, and healthcare providers make more informed decisions about how products and packaging should be handled at end of life. This can improve sorting and recovery rates, making it easier to recycle suitable pharmaceutical packaging and reduce unnecessary waste.

There is a significant opportunity to do so. Consumers are increasingly looking for clear guidance on how to dispose of products responsibly, while large volumes of non-contaminated plastic medical waste continue to be incinerated each year. In 2023, this represented 2.1 million tonnes of single-use plastics, 9.3 million tonnes of CO2e, and an estimated cost of EUR 48 billion (USD 56 billion) in the EU and North America alone.

As with emerging mHealth applications, this does not require a new coding infrastructure. Much of the information needed will already exist within current manufacturing systems. By including access to this information within the 2D codes already applied to products today, manufacturers can deliver new value to patients and healthcare providers, while helping to reduce waste.

Conclusion

A 2D code on a product opens the door to new outcomes and innovations. To stay ahead of the game, pharmaceutical manufacturers should look to garner the full benefits of on-product serialisation with 2D codes. This isn’t a step change – it’s just taking what’s already required under current regulations and taking it to the next level.