Drug Counterfeiting

Drug Counterfeiting

Pharmaceutical companies, distributors, and hospitals need Technology to deter drug counterfeiting. The World Health Organization estimates that between 5 to 8 percent of global pharmaceuticals are counterfeit. In some countries, the percentage of counterfeit drugs is significantly higher at between 25 to 40 percent. Thus, the pharmaceutical industry reports that it loses $2 billion per year due to counterfeit drugs Counterfeit drugs adversely affect people's lives by preventing patients from receiving needed medication. Fortunately, RFID/EPC tags can help detect products that are:

* Counterfeit or fake

* Tampered with, adulterated or substituted

* Unacceptable (i.e., expired, discarded, returned, recalled, etc.)

Clinical Trials

The pharmaceutical drug approval process is rigorous and dependent on meticulous documentation. As new drugs go through the clinical trial phase, accurately tracking patient usage is crucial. RFID technology can improve the tracking of drug usage throughout the clinical-phase testing protocols. Improved tracking and accountability can improve the reliability and speed of the United

States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drug approval process.

Inventory Management

Manufacturers and distributors need improved visibility throughout the supply chain to gain an accurate account of inventory. Lack of visibility of customer orders results in increased inventory because

Healthcare practitioners often keep buffer stocks to avoid stock outs. Increased inventory visibility could reduce buffer stocks by substituting knowledge for inventory, thereby reducing total inventory costs

Hospital and Medical Device Company Applications

Medical Device and Asset Tracking

RFID has strong application potential with medical device companies. The FDA requires medical device companies to be able to identify each unit by serial number. Medical device companies need better control of implants on consignment with hospitals because returns can occur more than 50 percent of the time. RFID technology that improves visibility into returns could enable faster redeployment since the

Company would know sooner when an unused product could be returned. Surgical instruments and other devices must be properly cleaned and packaged between uses. Tags on the instruments and readers on the

Sterilization chambers and storage cabinets can validate proper cleaning and help locate needed instruments. Since medical devices are often mounted on portable carts, smart tags placed on the devices and readers installed in the doorways