West Pharmaceutical Services Introduces West Spectra(TM) To Help Combat Drug Counterfeiting - Press Releases

West Pharmaceutical Services Introduces West Spectra(TM) To Help Combat Drug Counterfeiting
April 4, 2005
Parenteral Drug Association Meeting, CHICAGO, and LIONVILLE, Pa., /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE: WST), the world's premier manufacturer of components and systems for injectable drug delivery, today introduced West Spectra, a custom technology that provides manufacturers of injectable pharmaceuticals with increased protection against drug counterfeiting and tampering. West Spectra uses overt, covert and track and trace technologies that help to ensure product authenticity.
"Utilized effectively, innovative packaging can differentiate companies' products and may enhance product security, especially as a measure against drug counterfeiting. Historically, printing warning statements or critical medicament and dosing information directly and visibly on the aluminum shell or button of the parenteral drug package has been widely accepted as a means of last check authentication, and heightening awareness for compliance at point of use," said Donald E. Morel, Jr., Ph.D., Chairman and CEO of West Pharmaceutical Services. "West Spectra applies West's unique pharmaceutical seal expertise in fulfilling our mission to continually improve the safety and effectiveness of health care delivery systems. We are delighted to collaborate with our customers for a viable system to protect the integrity of their products."
Overt, covert and forensic measures were outlined in the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) recommendations for protecting and securing drug products. West Spectra integrates these advanced technologies, including spectroscopic inks and radio frequency identification (RFID) into the manufacturing of West's tamper-evident Flip-Off(R) seals. West Spectra permits manufacturers to layer and periodically change security features on their drug packaging. The overt technology incorporates high-resolution, full-color graphics for immediate identification and product differentiation. Sophisticated covert inks can be applied for rapid spectroscopic authentication of the drug package at any point in the supply chain.
West is working closely with Tagsys, U.S.A., Inc., an industry leading provider of RFID technologies. Tagsys provides the RFID tag, the associated hardware and the data integration services. By combining RFID with Flip-Off seals, West Spectra provides high density simultaneous read, write and non- line-of-site verification of sealed packaging. Electronically stored data immediately determines authenticity, making inventory secure and easier to manage through proven track and trace systems. This item-level serialization promotes the industry objective of achieving a robust electronic pedigree system to help secure the integrity of the pharmaceutical supply chain.
To help ensure a consistent source of supply for global markets, West Spectra seals will be manufactured by West facilities in the U.S. and Europe.
About West Pharmaceutical Services
West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. is the world's premier manufacturer of standard-setting components and systems for injectable drug delivery. The Company's products include stoppers and seals for vials, multi-piece tamper- resistant plastic closures and disposable components used in syringe, IV and blood collection systems. The Company also provides products with application to the personal care, food and beverage markets. West's global customer base includes the world's leading manufacturers of pharmaceuticals, biologics and medical devices. Millions of West products are used by people around the world every day in the delivery of healthcare. Headquartered in Lionville, Pennsylvania, West employs more than 4,500 and supports its partners and customers from 50 locations throughout North America, South America, Europe, Mexico, Japan, Asia and Australia. For more information, visit West at http://www.westpharma.com.
Flip-Off is a registered trademark of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.