IBM RFID System to Fight Drug Counterfeiting

Filed in archive Companies on August 8, 2006

Are you aware that one out of twelve prescription drugs get counterfeited each year and this is a real headache for the US Food and Drug Administration? The global supply chain of drugs is highly complicated in the sense that from the manufacturer and until it reaches the final user it changes hands at least ten times and it is very much possible that it could be counterfeited.

FDA has stated that RFID could help in preventing counterfeiting of drugs. IBM has realized this and has come up with a RFID system for tracking and tracing of drugs. The RFID system from IBM can track drugs through the supply chain using blended RFID software and services. This is how it works. RFID tags are attached to products at the unit, case and pallet level and each tag has a unique identifier which can be linked back to descriptive product information such as lot number, dosage and strength, manufacturer and expiry date.

Manufacturers and distributors could also improve their performance by reducing inventory costs, targeting costs and a quicker response to market demand. This system is based on the IBM WebSphere software platform and architecture which enables clients to reuse existing assets and hence build new applications faster at a low cost.