TECHNOLOGY NEWS: QUALITY CONTROL
Applauding the European Commission’s publication in May of a public consultation on the reprocessing of single-use devices, Eucomed chief executive John Wilkinson stressed the need for follow-through. “It is highly important that the commission build on the results of this consultation,” said Wilkinson. “Both patients and physicians are often left in the dark about whether a medical device has been reprocessed or not.” A company specializing in anticounterfeiting and brand protection products may be able to help shed some light on this dilemma.
In tandem with a global med-tech manufacturer, OpSec Security (Washington, Tyne and Wear, UK; www.opsecsecurity.com) has developed a Reprocess Indicator that is affixed to the device (and not simply the packaging). When the label is exposed to liquids that are used to clean devices, a latent message is rendered visible, warning the user that the instrument has been reprocessed. The label itself is multilayered and incorporates optically variable security technology to safeguard against counterfeiting. The label, which is available now to med-tech OEMs, can be implemented on devices of various sizes and configurations.
“The company we are working with on this project wanted something that would tell the surgeon that a device has been reprocessed,” says OpSec director of development David Downes. “In many cases, they just don’t know. The label is designed to make the surgical team aware of [the device’s condition] and, I hope, prevent the proliferation of reprocessed single-use devices.”
The medical manufacturer that is participating in the development of the technology is in the final stages of rolling it out, according to Downes. “The label will be used on the most-high-value product in the company’s portfolio,” he says.
OpSec Security provides an array of anticounterfeiting technologies, services, and programmes to governments and corporations worldwide. The firm operates facilities in the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, and Hong Kong.
