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PHARMA-CODE - One-Track

PHARMA-CODE - One-Track (also known as the standard PHARMA-CODE or Pharmaceutical Binary Code) is a one-dimensional (1D) symbology that was developed in the late 1970s and is used in the packaging of pharmaceutical products. It is designed to be read (typically from right to left) by a barcode reader despite any printing errors that may otherwise occur on the label. For example, color bars can be added to the symbol to verify that those colors (such as a red warning message) are printed correctly on the label.

PHARMA-CODE is typically used for in-house inventory control and security verification, ensuring that packaging materials and contents match and are correct. It is not used for point-of-sale purchases. For applications that have limited space, a miniature version is available.

PHARMA-CODE is defined in the Laetus PHARMA-CODE Guide. The Laetus division of Romaco Pharmatechnik GmbH in Alsbach, Germany, owns the PHARMA-CODE trademark.

Symbol Structure

The symbol comprises the following elements:

Leading quiet zone
Optional start bar
A single integer that is encoded in binary format
Optional color bar, which is used to check for the presence of certain colors on the package
Optional end bar
Trailing quiet zone

Unlike other 1D symbologies, PHARMA-CODE encodes its data in binary format rather than decimal, using two widths of bars: narrow and wide. The integer that PHARMA-CODE encodes can be 3 at minimum (represented by two narrow bars) and 131,070 at maximum (represented by sixteen wide bars).

A quiet zone of 6 mm on either side of the symbol is required. No check digit is included.

Character Set

Color Bars

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