Jones celebrates centenary by authenticating COVID-19 test kits

The company is seeing a surge in interest in more high-tech healthcare packaging, including printed electronics, with the challenges of COVID-19. “Recently, we have been asked about COVID-19 testing kits with intelligent and connected capabilities,” Chris Jones Harris principal, corporate development at the company said. “The market is experiencing a rise in counterfeit testing kits, while authentic at-home kits can be difficult for consumers to understand and use.” “This has led us to important work with multiple partners to create intelligent kit options that not only allow consumers to quickly confirm a kit is authentic and manufactured under safe conditions, but can also provide consumers with easy access to tutorial videos to demonstrate proper use – all of this with the tap of a smartphone to the packaging. At this time, we have provisional designs with partners undergoing regulatory approval,” Jones Harris added. Jones is also in the process of acquiring design protection patents in North America for another of its innovations – intelligent, monitored medication adherence cards to ensure compliance with complex polypharmaceutical regimes. “This system digitally tracks whether patients have removed prescribed doses of medication at the right times – and can also send reminders to patients, healthcare providers and caregivers when medications have not been taken,” Nic Hunt, chief strategy officer at Jones, explained. There is a growing consumer familiarity with NFC tap interaction, which the company is well placed to develop and produce, it claims. The team’s current focus is on intelligent, connected packaging –evaluating different electronic sensors that could connect with embedded NFC and RFID technologies in packaging. These sensors could detect humidity or temperature to ensure product integrity, for example.