QR Codes in the Pharmaceutical Industry
Top pharmaceutical brands use Scanova's QR Codes on medicine packs to turn them into a live patient communication and engagement channel. Manage dosage guides, multilingual compliance content, and more from one dashboard. Update content even after printing and deploying codes.
For most pharmaceutical packaging teams, the printed insert of a medicine pack is becoming the weakest patient touchpoint.
Regulators across the globe now use QR Codes to deliver electronic patient information leaflets (ePILs) on packaging. Once QR Codes on medicine packs are printed, Scanova lets you update what's behind it — be it dosage revisions, safety notices, or new market translations, without touching the artwork.
A study published in ERCSP medical research journal in 2025 found that over 80% of patients, regardless of age/gender, were willing to scan a QR Code to access an electronic PIL (ePIL) in place of a printed one. More than 96% found the ePIL easy to read, and 69% of dispensing pharmacy staff preferred the digital format.
The APOLLO-QR clinical study, published in the European Heart Journal Digital Health in May 2025, found that QR Codes on medicine packaging, used for patient self-reporting of pill intake, achieved 90.1% accuracy in measuring drug adherence in real time.
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We are changing how pharmaceutical companies approach medicine packaging
Without
Limited space on cartons, labels, and inserts to accommodate growing regulatory and patient information requirements
Static packaging that cannot communicate urgent recalls, safety advisories, or product updates after distribution
Packaging functioning primarily as a compliance requirement and added cost
No clear path to e-PIL compliance as EU and UK regulators expand acceptance of digital delivery of information to patients
One set of printed inserts for every market, with no way to serve language-specific content from a single code
No scan analytics for scans from patients or healthcare professionals to track engagement
With Scanova
A digital extension of the pack that can host detailed instructions, videos, FAQs, safety information, and downloadable documents
The ability to publish updated recall notices, safety alerts, and approved communications through existing QR Codes already on the pack
Packaging transformed into an interactive digital touchpoint that supports education, engagement, and patient support
A platform built for dynamic content management, with the infrastructure to update approved content immediately after a confirmed regulatory change
Conditional redirection that detects the patient's browser language and serves the correct approved leaflet automatically
Detailed scan analytics, turning every printed pack into a measurable patient touchpoint
Dynamic patient information and compliance from the medicine pack
Turn every pack into a more informative experience
A medicine pack has limited space, which often cannot cover extensive information. Scanova's QR Codes on a medicine pack can open a product page with how-to-use videos, formulation breakdowns, storage guidance, etc., from just one scan.
This lets pharmaceutical teams build, manage, and update all content from a single dashboard, without any printing or reprinting costs. Teams finally get to track engagement.
Serve the right language leaflet from one code
A single QR Code for a medicine pack can be printed on medicine packs exported to multiple regions.
Scanova's conditional redirection feature can detect the patient's browser language and automatically route to the appropriate language version of a patient information leaflet, making the information more accessible.
Drive app downloads or deliver in-app content from the pack itself
Pharmaceutical companies can also drive their app downloads using Scanova's App Store QR Code.
It detects the patient's device at the moment of scan and automatically routes to the correct store — Google Play for Android, the App Store for iOS.
Put your brand domain on every scan, not a third-party URL
Patients who see an unfamiliar URL after scanning a medicine pack are right to hesitate. Scanova's Custom Page QR Code, paired with a customized subdomain, lets pharmaceutical companies own the page that opens after every scan so that the patient immediately recognises it.
For brand and regulatory teams with strict standards on patient-facing communication, this removes the trust gap that unbranded, generic QR Codes in the pharmaceutical industry create.
Know which SKU, market, and batch drove every scan
Dynamic QR Codes can be tracked using Scanova's intuitive dashboard, which reports insightful scan analytics like total scans, unique visitors, scan time and day, city and country, and device type for every QR Code.
This information is valuable for a pharmaceutical marketing or regulatory team that currently has no data on whether buyers read the insert or engage with packaging content.
Create and deploy codes across hundreds of SKUs in one upload
Scanova's Bulk QR Code generator lets packaging teams create hundreds of trackable QR Codes for pharmaceutical industry use cases in a single upload — each code named, tagged by product line or market, and exportable for print.
Collect patient feedback at the point of scan
A Feedback QR Code placed on the pack gives patients a direct, frictionless channel to report a query, an unexpected experience, or a request for additional information.
This acts as a direct and accessible communication channel connecting pharma companies with their customers.
Update content across every printed pack, no reprinting
When a dosage is revised, a safety update is approved, or a new market translation clears regulatory review, the printed code on every box in distribution stays identical. Only the destination changes.
Packaging teams update the content or content destination of Scanova's Dynamic QR Codes, and the redirect takes effect immediately across all codes. This is how pharmaceutical companies handle post-print content changes without reprinting costs or a whole packaging recall.
Your patient data and regulatory content are protected
Scanova prioritizes user data protection by adhering to stringent security standards, including ISO/IEC 27001:2022, GDPR, and SOC2
What our pharmaceutical customers say
We are monthly subscribers to their service
I launched a non-profit computeforcancer.org and I used Scanova for my QR codes. It was critical for us as a non-profit to create this method of donation quickly and without issues. We are monthly subscribers to their service and plan to continue to use the products.
How to make QR Codes that display the right information
to the right patient or healthcare professional
Choose your regulatory/patient engagement goal
Decide what the code links to: a patient information leaflet (PIL) hosted as a PDF or a mobile-optimized landing page, an OTC medication's dosage instructions, a self-administration video for injectables or inhalers, a multilingual compliance document, or a patient feedback form. Log in to Scanova. Click on 'Create QR Code' and select the relevant category.
Add your pharma content and configure the code
Upload your approved PIL, paste your content URL, or build a landing page with your drug name, dosage information, warnings, and market-specific details. If you're creating codes for multiple packs, use Bulk QR Code creation to generate them at scale in a single upload.
Enable pharma-specific tracking and compliance features
Configure advanced features like conditional redirection by browser language, name your QR Code and tag it for organised tracking. You can also use the QR Code scheduling feature for time-bound promotional content and even integrate Scanova with your existing tools or workflows directly.
Design, test, download, and deploy
Set your brand identity like logo, brand colours, custom eye pattern, and custom code design. Test the QR Code before downloading. Export in the relevant format before printing at any size. For reliable scanning on medicine packs, QR Codes should be printed at a minimum of 1 inch (2.54 cm) or 115 pixels.
Explore Scanova's QR Code categories for pharmaceutical packaging
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Questions pharma packaging teams ask before getting started
Can a QR Code on medicine boxes be updated after the pack has left the facility?
How does one QR Code serve patients in different countries who need different language versions of the package insert?
What is the minimum print size for a QR Code on medicine packs or labels for reliable scanning?
What is an electronic patient information leaflet (ePIL), and does Scanova support it?
Scanova supports ePIL delivery by hosting PILs as PDF documents or mobile-optimised landing pages, with dynamic routing so content can be updated after print without changing the code on the pack. You can also provide how-to guide videos as well as information in audio form to make it more accessible.
Discover how Scanova's QR Codes help pharma packaging teams
Turn every medicine pack into a patient touchpoint
14-day free trial. No credit card required. Trusted by pharma customers across 105+ countries.