Counterfeit drugs and diverted shipments are a persistent threat in the pharmaceutical supply chain, but a new hardware-and-software solution is now being recognized for tackling the problem head-on. The joint entry from ForgeStop and EM Microelectronic has taken home a top industry honor for its approach to giving every medicine pack a unique, verifiable identity.
ForgeStop has won the Drug Delivery, Devices and Packaging Innovation award at the CPHI Pharma Awards 2026 for its Secure Connected Packaging system, developed with EM Microelectronic. The prize was handed out on October 6 during the CPHI Celebration at CPHI Milan, one of the largest gatherings in the global pharmaceutical industry. An independent panel of international experts selected winners across 15 categories.
The winning technology pairs a cryptographic chip with a software platform to give every pharmaceutical pack a verifiable identity from production line to patient, and it is already in commercial use.
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The system works by affixing a tamper-evident InfoTap® smart label to each pack on the production line. The label is built on EM Microelectronic’s dual-frequency chip, which allows the same tag to be read by UHF RAIN RFID readers during logistics operations—for tracking cases and pallets—and by any NFC-enabled smartphone for verification at the pharmacy counter or in the patient’s hand. No app is required to perform the check.
This matters because traditional printed codes, including the serialized 2D barcodes required under the EU Falsified Medicines Directive and the US Drug Supply Chain Security Act, can be photographed and reprinted onto counterfeit packaging. The secure chip, by contrast, generates a new signed value with every tap, so a copied or cloned tag is immediately flagged as suspect rather than accepted as genuine. Manufacturers get real-time authentication data and tamper alerts on every individual unit, and the same tap can also deliver electronic product information (ePI) as European regulators push to move statutory leaflets from paper to digital formats.
The technology is already in commercial use in pharmaceutical production, including at IFA Celtics in Mexico, which became the first pharmaceutical company in that market to adopt NFC authentication. The system is also being used in the premium spirits sector.
“Our technology tracks every pack from packaging and serialization on the production line, through each distributor and pharmacy, to the patient’s hands,” said Terry Katz, CEO and co-founder of ForgeStop. “If a product is scanned somewhere it should not be, the brand is notified immediately, not months later in an audit. Diversion and counterfeiting become visible while there is still time to act, and that protects patients.”
“Pharmaceutical packaging needs an identity that cannot simply be photographed and reprinted. Pairing our dual-frequency secure chip with ForgeStop’s platform gives each pack a verifiable identity from the production line to the patient’s hand, readable by logistics systems and by any NFC smartphone. This award confirms that the industry is ready for it,” said Tom Racette, Sr. Director Market Development at EM Microelectronic.
ForgeStop was also a finalist in the Digital Transformation category for its connected products platform, one of six entries shortlisted in that segment.
About ForgeStop
ForgeStop is a connected products platform that gives every physical product a secure digital identity at the point of manufacture. From the production line to the brand’s dashboard to the consumer’s tap, anyone can verify a product with a smartphone, no app required. ForgeStop serves pharmaceutical, premium spirits and consumer goods brands in the United States, Mexico and India, and is headquartered in Miami, Florida. Learn more at forgestop.com.
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Why it matters: As regulatory mandates push for stricter serialization and digital leaflet delivery, the ability to authenticate a drug at the point of care without an app or specialized reader could become a new standard. This award signals that the industry is moving beyond barcodes toward chip-based identities that can actively resist counterfeiting and diversion, protecting both brand integrity and patient safety.
