RFID shows promise for item-level pharma track and trace
05 April, 2010
category: RFID
German studies are under way to show the effects of RFID tagging and how it can improve the tracking and verification of pharmaceutical products throughout the supply chain, even down to the individual packs, according to a Securing Pharma report.
The RadioPharm project is looking at the use of item-level RFID, in combination with case- and pallet-level tagging, as an alternative to 2D data matrix coding.
In the pharmaceutical industry RFID technology is rarely used due to metallic packaging, such as the blister pack foils or tubes, and even some liquids which can interfere with RFID readings.
Tests were conducted to monitor read and write processes for a range of pharmaceutical products, including liquids, tablets and ointments, and the group is now working with pharmaceutical manufactures to determine the possibility of tracking products from manufacture to wholesaler, up to the pharmacy, and on to the customer.
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