ROCHESTER, N.Y., Mar. 21-Pharmaceutical companies have a powerful new antidote to combat the rising impact of counterfeit drugs: the KODAK TRACELESS System for Anticounterfeiting. Using the covert technology, drug companies can now assure physicians and their patients that they are receiving authentic products. Kodak will demonstrate its robust brand protection and authentication solutions for pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical applications at INTERPHEX 2008 (booth #4325), Mar. 26-28, in Philadelphia.

With the TRACELESS System, pharmaceutical companies can quickly and easily distinguish dangerous fakes from genuine medications. The TRACELESS System uses forensically undetectable markers that can be placed into printed materials or product packaging. The markers can only be detected using secure, handheld KODAK readers. In addition to its pharmaceutical clients, Kodak has also successfully implemented its anticounterfeiting solutions for customers in the consumer electronics, cosmetics, wine, apparel and other markets.

Med-Health Pharma LLC, a prescription drug repackager, recently announced its use of the KODAK TRACELESS System to protect its product packages from counterfeiting and fraud. Offering the most widely prescribed drugs in packages of 10-30 doses, Med-Health Pharma delivers medications for point of care dispensing, a system that fills patients' prescriptions at the physician's office rather than at a traditional pharmacy

"The TRACELESS System provides a staunch defense against counterfeiters who try to replicate packaging and peddle dangerous fakes," said Sam Haddad, Vice President of Operations, Med-Health Pharma. "Authentication is very important for our industry and this solution allows us to aggressively confront the issue of counterfeit products that risk innocent lives."

The proliferation of fake drugs across the world market and the Internet is a critical problem that affects companies, governments and customers. MarkMonitor, an industry fraud advisor, found that of the 3,160 pharmacies found to be selling popular prescription drugs, only four of them had a Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Site accreditation from the The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.

"Counterfeit prescription drugs quickly spread across the world markets, creating a substantial problem for government regulators, pharmaceutical brands and patients," said Steve Powell, General Manager and Director, Security Solutions, Kodak's Graphic Communications Group. "The TRACELESS System helps put counterfeiters out of business by making it virtually impossible to replicate the products we protect."

The TRACELESS System is ideal for the protection of a wide range of products and packaging materials because TRACELESS markers can be mixed with various inks, toners, varnishes, and other items for analog and digital printing, as well as paper pulp, plastics, powders, pigments, liquids and textiles. Kodak's covert authentication technology can also be a powerful component of an ePedigree system. For example, the TRACELESS markers can be added to a bar code printed via common printing methods, such as thermal transfer, to combine the traceability of the bar code with highly secure covert authentication-at a much lower cost than other technologies such as RFID.

KODAK Security Solutions brings together the resources of Kodak's vast intellectual property portfolio, along with expertise in material science, digital imaging, document imaging, and graphic communications to create a broad portfolio of products and technologies that protect against counterfeiting. KODAK Security Solutions are backed by KODAK Service and Support, with more than 3,000 professionals reaching more than 120 countries. KODAK Service and Support professionals are uniquely qualified to provide services that control costs, maximize productivity, and minimize business risk.