IBM Adds E-Pedigree Features to WebSphere RFIDIC

AmerisourceBergen launched a pilot in May 2007 (see AmerisourceBergen to Conduct HF/UHF RFID Pilot), testing both high-frequency (HF) and ultra-high-frequency (UHF) passive RFID tags on inbound cases and totes carrying a mix of items, says Shay Reid, the company's VP of integrated solutions. The pharmaceutical distributor, an IBM customer, is also testing EPCIS-based communications with its trading partners.

AmerisourceBergen is currently using WebSphere RFIDIC, with plans to employ the software's e-pedigree capability. "We want to use IBM's EPCIS e-pedigree product with a trading partner to prove out the EPCIS-enabled e-pedigree," Reid says, "as well as interface IBM's EPCIS with existing business applications to develop new customer solutions for track and trace."

To prepare for the California law, AmerisourceBergen is working toward RFID-enabling all three of its California facilities. Still, the company's ability to fully comply with the looming law is largely dependent on whether drug manufacturers tag their products before they enter the supply chain. "We have indications from pharmaceutical manufacturers that not all pharmaceutical products will be serialized by the Jan. 1, 2009, implementation date," Reid says, "which would limit our ability to comply."

The pharmaceutical industry faces several challenges in moving toward full e-pedigree compliance, Reid notes, including the lack of uniformity regarding e-pedigree requirements among various states. The costs and complexities associated with implementing e-pedigree capabilities also pose challenges, not just for companies like AmerisourceBergen, but others participating in the pharmaceutical supply chain as well. For instance, manufacturers will need to implement serialization in all existing product lines, but doing so will be costly and require changes to product packaging.

"Wholesalers have to understand the different options that manufacturers may use to serialize, and the different means that manufacturers may provide serialized information," says Reid. "We also have to change processes to be able to receive product with different forms of serialization." Such serialization types could include two-dimensional bar codes and RFID/bar-code combinations. Moreover, pharmacies will have to determine the best time to implement the technology, as well as change existing operations to incorporate serialization.