Ess Dee Aluminium Ltd; an end-to-end pharmaceutical packaging solutions provider, enters the anti-counterfeit packaging world.

With the goal of countering the growing menace of spurious drugs, Ess Dee Aluminium Ltd is launching a new range of anti-counterfeiting products that it says will double its annual turnover. The company, which supplies end-to-end packaging solutions to most of India’s pharmaceutical companies, is currently applying for patents on a variety of products, which include:

·         aluminum strip pack foil

·         aluminum blister pack foil

·         PVC film

·         PVDC coated PVC film

·         cold form Alu Alu / tropicalized laminate

·         child resistant laminates

·         laminates for oral rehydration salts, cough lozenges, antacids and anti-TB kits

Ess Dee's technology involves the incorporation of various images on the printed foil having a three-dimensional/reflective effect.  In case of blister and strip packs, a company logo is printed with a three-dimensional effect on lid foil. Others have a holographic effect through direct printing on lid foil.

The products are primarily targeted toward fast moving and well known brands which are easily manufactured, available over the counter (OTC products), supplied to government institutions or produced for exports.

Developed in the company's state-of-the-art R&D center, these technologies are backed with Ess Dee's considerable investments.

According to Mr. Sudip Dutta, Chairman and Managing Director, Ess Dee Aluminium, the company will be investing Rs 1 billion ($24m) in the next few years to develop the portfolio of anti-counterfeiting technologies. "The move will facilitate top line growth of pharma customers whose major brands lose 30-35% revenue to counterfeiting – this will automatically have a positive impact on our volumes and revenue,” he said.

Mr. Dutta added, "This move will also embolden the pharma companies to launch high-end researched [medicines] that are potential blockbusters, with protection from the threat of spurious and [counterfeit] elements."

Ess Dee caters to a number of blue-chip pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, Cipla, Bayer, Ranbaxy, Glenmark, etc. and will continue to provide customized products according to its customers' needs.