RFID Journal Staff asked 15 years ago Do you have any suggestions regarding how our company might track pharmaceuticals and protect them from being counterfeited?
—Name withheld
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Many companies, including Pfizer and Cephalon, are exploring the potential of using radio frequency identification to reduce the theft, diversion and counterfeiting of medicines.
Essentially, the idea is to give each individual vial or pill bottle a unique serial number, then track the custody of each as it moves through the supply chain. When a pharmacy receives the drugs, it can look up the chain of custody of a particular medicine, in order to confirm that the item is, indeed, a legitimate product.
For more detail on the use of RFID as a anticounterfeiting tool, check out these articles:
Pfizer Prepares for Viagra E-Pedigree Trial
www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/3044/
Six U.K. Drugmakers Pilot RFID
www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/1247/
Manufacturers Propose Tools to Fight Counterfeiting
www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/3421/
EPC as an Anti-counterfeiting Tool
www.rfidjournal.com/magazine/article/1371/
Keeping Bogus Drugs Out of the Medicine Cabinet
www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/3478/
Medical Company Turns to RFID for Authentication
www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/3174/
—Mark Roberti, Editor, RFID Journal
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