ForgeStop and EM Microelectronic win CPHI Pharma Award for secure connected packaging

ForgeStop and EM Microelectronic won the CPHI Pharma Award 2026 for Drug Delivery, Devices and Packaging Innovation after an independent panel recognized their secure connected packaging system in Milan. The chip-and-platform approach gives each pharma pack a verifiable identity from production line to patient and is already in commercial use.

Why it matters: - The award spotlights a packaging system designed to make counterfeit and diverted pharmaceutical products easier to detect. - The same pack identity can be used for logistics tracking, pharmacy verification and patient-facing authentication without a separate app. - The technology is already in commercial pharmaceutical production, which moves the concept beyond a pilot.

What happened: - ForgeStop said its joint entry with EM Microelectronic, Secure Connected Packaging for Pharmaceutical Track-and-Trace and Authentication, won the CPHI Pharma Award 2026 for Drug Delivery, Devices and Packaging Innovation. - CPHI presented the award on October 6 during the CPHI Celebration at CPHI Milan. - An independent panel of global industry experts selected winners across 15 categories. - ForgeStop was also a finalist in the Digital Transformation category for its connected products platform, one of six entries shortlisted.

The details: - The winning system assigns every pharmaceutical pack a unique cryptographic identity on the production line as a tamper-evident InfoTap® smart label. - EM Microelectronic's dual-frequency chip lets a single tag work with UHF RAIN RFID readers for case and pallet tracking. - The same tag can be read by any NFC smartphone for verification at the pharmacy counter or in a patient's hand. - No app is required for smartphone verification. - Printed codes, including 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 stock. - The secure chip creates a new signed value on every tap, which flags copied tags instead of trusting them. - Manufacturers get real-time authentication and tamper data on every unit. - The same tap can also deliver electronic product information as European regulators move the statutory leaflet from paper to digital. - The technology is in commercial pharmaceutical production at IFA Celtics in Mexico, which ForgeStop described as the first pharmaceutical company in that market to adopt NFC authentication. - The technology is also being used in premium spirits. - ForgeStop is headquartered in Miami, Florida, and serves pharmaceutical, premium spirits and consumer goods brands in the United States, Mexico and India. - ForgeStop says its platform gives every physical product a secure digital identity at the point of manufacture. - ForgeStop says anyone can verify a product from the production line to the brand dashboard to the consumer's tap with a smartphone and no app.

Between the lines: - The award suggests the market is moving toward pack-level security that combines supply chain visibility with consumer-facing authentication. - The dual-use design matters because the same tag supports warehouse logistics and bedside or counter-level verification. - The emphasis on a signed value for every tap points to a shift from static codes to dynamic authentication. - The mention of electronic product information signals a broader use case beyond anti-counterfeiting into patient information delivery.

What's next: - ForgeStop is likely to lean on the award to expand adoption with pharmaceutical manufacturers looking for track-and-trace and authentication tools. - Wider use could follow as regulators and brands continue moving from paper leaflets and static barcodes toward digital, pack-based identity systems. - The company is also positioned to market the same platform across pharmaceuticals, premium spirits and other consumer goods.

The bottom line: - ForgeStop and EM Microelectronic have turned connected packaging into a commercially deployed pharmaceutical security tool, and CPHI's recognition gives that approach industry validation.