Bilcare Ltd has obtained a patent in the USA for its pharmaceutical grade metalised thermo-formable composite films.

This innovative packaging material will address multiple concerns and limitations of the pharmaceutical products in the markets like anti-counterfeit and anti-pass off. The unique products under this range are Patina, Ultra and UltraTX. In March 2004, the company had filed patent application for these three products in the US.

The pharma packaging industry in India depends on holograms as a solution to prevent counterfeit. But, holograms do not serve as identify for genuineness, as it can also be duplicate. Another issue that proves serious to patients is when they accidentally consume the wrong drug, as they are unable to differentiate between the various drugs available. With the pharmaceutical grade metalised films, Bilcare has developed products that will have their own unique identity, either through colour or the overall finish to the product and can address both these issue, strongly.

"Our vision to partner the global companies has been strengthened with the new patent. We have won for the metalised films. Through our innovative product range we are confident to revolutionize the pharma packaging industry not only in India, but worldwide", said Mohan Bhandari, chairman and managing director, Bilcare Ltd. This is perhaps just the beginning and in times to come, Bilcare hopes to offer innovative solutions through its strong emphasis on research, which address the needs of the life science sector, he further added.

With the new patent, Bilcare will be able to provide products with their own identity, which will result from the unique colour and design developed by the company. It will also add new capabilities to remove functional limitations that are present in the current pharmaceutical packaging solutions.

Dr Praful Naik, global scientist officer, said, "In a world where protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) is becoming a big concern, especially in the pharmaceutical sector, where companies need to protect their drug discoveries from counterfeit and pass offs, packaging is going to play a very critical role. A patent for packaging material as unique as pharmaceutical grade metalised films will provide confidence to the industry in terms of safer drug delivery. Bilcare has 7-8 products in their product pipeline for worldwide patent. The company spends around 5 per cent net profit on R&D, he said.