Accessible medicines

Cinfa has launched a pioneering project in the pharmaceutical industry worldwide to incorporate NaviLens technology into the packaging of its medicines and pharmaceutical solutions, which will increase accessibility for the visually impaired.

Specifically, the company is including special codes on its packaging and patient leaflets which, through the free NaviLens application and by using accessibility tools and the mobile phone camera, allows the mobile phone to narrate the essential information about the products. Thus, the name of the medicine or solution, its pack size, expiry date and batch number are provided, in addition to the complete information contained in the patient leaflet; key information that allows everyone, including those with a visual impairment, to use their treatments correctly, in a way that is easy and independent.

Cinfa has been working for 18 months on the validation and practical application of this technology in its products, with the help of NaviLens and with the advice of people with blindness and low vision, thanks to the collaboration of the IDDEAS Foundation. The first Cinfa prescription medicines with this new technology are already available in the Spanish pharmacies. As the approvals of the different regulatory phases are received its application will gradually be extended to the rest of Cinfa’s pharmaceutical solutions, until it covers the 1,500 packs that comprise the company’s product portfolio in Spain. This is one more step towards ensuring access to healthcare for everyone. 

In Spain, more than one million people are visually impaired, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (Survey on disability, personal autonomy, and dependency situations 2020. Household Survey). In addition to these, there are also people with eyesight problems who may find it difficult to read small typefaces on packaging or patient leaflets.

Until now, and at a regulatory level in Spain, all medicinal products had to include certain information in Braille on the packaging, but it is estimated that only one in ten of the visually impaired people in Spain knows Braille. The incorporation of the NaviLens code allows the patient to access additional key information, such as the expiry date, the batch number or the full patient leaflet, simply using a mobile phone and a free application. Furthermore, Cinfa will apply this technology not only on its medicines, but also on medical devices and other pharmaceutical solutions.

NaviLens Accessible QR codes are similar to traditional QR codes but are designed with a specific technology and high-contrast colours to facilitate their detection by people with low vision. In addition, they can be detected from a wide range of angles and under different lighting conditions, allowing the mobile camera to scan them easily, even while moving, so they are also accessible to people with blindness.

These features of NaviLens accessible codes eliminate the need to focus on the code specifically, simplifying its use and allowing access to the information it contains without having to locate it precisely on the carton box or patient leaflet.