From Smart to Essential: Why NFC is becoming Pharma’s Trust Layer

“It’s a matter of trust.”

That line has been stuck in people’s heads since pop and rock music legend Billy Joel first sung it in 1986. In pharmaceutical packaging today, it’s not a lyric – it’s the entire challenge facing
the industry.

For years, NFC in pharmaceutical packaging lived in that familiar category of “next big thing” – promising, technically viable, but rarely deployed at meaningful scale. The technology worked, and the use cases made sense. But when it came to real-world production environments, especially in pharma, the gap between concept and execution remained stubbornly wide.

That gap is starting to close.

And it’s not because NFC suddenly got smarter. It’s because the stakes around it got higher.

Across the pharmaceutical value chain, trust is no longer assumed – it’s something that must be verified, documented, and, increasingly, digitized. Regulatory pressure is building from multiple directions. The European Union’s pharmaceutical legislation reforms, the emergence of Digital Product Passports, and a more aggressive FDA stance around data integrity and digital traceability are all pushing the industry toward a new reality: every product must carry a reliable, trackable
digital identity.

At the same time, the threat landscape has shifted. Counterfeit pharmaceuticals are no longer limited to poorly produced knockoffs. Many now move through gray market channels, often in convincing, high-quality packaging that can be difficult to distinguish from the real thing. High-profile incidents – such as counterfeit GLP-1 injectables entering global supply chains – have only intensified scrutiny from regulators and health organizations.

In this environment, traditional approaches to labeling and packaging are no longer enough.

That’s where NFC, and, more broadly, connected packaging, begins to move from “interesting” to essential.

While RFID continues to play a critical role in supply chain visibility, NFC brings something different to the table: a direct, secure link between the physical product and a digital identity that can be accessed at any point in the product lifecycle, including by the end user. With a simple smartphone tap, stakeholders can verify authenticity, confirm product integrity, and access critical information in real time.

More importantly, NFC creates a closed loop of verification. From manufacturer to distributor to patient, every interaction can be recorded, validated, and tied back to a single, unique digital identity. In an industry where data integrity is paramount, that capability is becoming increasingly valuable.

And yet, for all its advantages, NFC adoption in pharma has lagged behind expectations.

The reason isn’t conceptual – it’s operational.

For converters and packaging engineers, the challenge has always been less about what NFC can do and more about how it performs on-press. Concerns around chip fragility, integration complexity, line disruption, and overall equipment effectiveness have slowed adoption. In high-speed pharmaceutical environments, where precision is measured in fractions of a millimeter and downtime is unacceptable, any new technology must prove it can operate reliably at scale.

This is where recent developments begin to shift the narrative.

At interpack 2026, Schreiner MediPharm and Herma presented a joint RFID labeling solution for pharmaceutical vials that addresses one of the industry’s most persistent concerns: process reliability. The system combines Schreiner MediPharm’s Robust RFID-Label construction – designed specifically to protect embedded chips from mechanical stress – with Herma’s precision labeling technology.

The result is a system capable of applying RFID-enabled labels to small, curved containers, like vials and syringes, at high speeds while maintaining extremely low chip failure rates. In testing on Herma’s 132M HC wrap-around labeling platform, chip breakage rates were reduced to near zero – an important benchmark for an industry where consistency is everything.

It’s a meaningful development, not just because of the technology itself but because of what it represents.

For the first time, NFC and RFID in pharma packaging are being engineered not just for functionality, but for manufacturability.

That distinction matters.

Because until connected packaging solutions can run seamlessly in real production environments – without slowing lines, increasing waste, or introducing risk – they remain difficult to justify beyond pilot programs and niche applications.

At the same time, the broader ecosystem is evolving to support this shift. Companies like Identiv are expanding NFC-enabled tag portfolios with integrated tamper detection and secure authentication features, effectively turning labels into active components of product security. Meanwhile, developments from suppliers such as Tageos and Pragmatic Semiconductor are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible from a materials standpoint, introducing ultra-thin, flexible NFC inlays designed for high-volume label and packaging applications with minimal impact on structure or recyclability.

Taken together, these innovations point to a larger transformation.

Labels are no longer just identifiers. They are becoming digital gateways connecting physical products to cloud-based systems, enabling real-time data exchange, and supporting everything from authentication and traceability to patient engagement and regulatory compliance.

For label converters, this shift carries both opportunity and responsibility.

On one hand, it opens the door to higher-value applications and deeper integration into customers’ operations. On the other, it raises the bar for technical capability, process control, and collaboration across the value chain. Implementing NFC successfully isn’t just about sourcing the right chip or inlay. It requires coordination between materials, converting processes, application equipment, and end-use requirements.

It also requires a mindset shift.

Low migration, for example, is no longer just about ink formulation. As the industry has learned over the past decade, it’s about the entire process – from press configuration and curing to handling, storage, and final application. The same principle applies to connected packaging. A “smart” label is only as effective as the system supporting it.

Looking ahead, the role of NFC in pharma – and increasingly in other packaging segments – will continue to expand. As costs come down, infrastructure improves, and regulatory frameworks evolve, adoption is likely to accelerate. What was once viewed as an added feature is quickly becoming a foundational layer of modern packaging.

For the label industry, that means the conversation is changing.

This isn’t just about print quality or decoration anymore. It’s about enabling trust.

And now more than ever, that trust lives in the label.

Steve Katz is the former editor of Label & Narrow Web and is now a regular contributor. He is focused on helping companies in the label industry share their news and tell their stories. Follow him on X @LabelSteve.