Companies announce RFID drug-tracking project

IDG News Service - Unisys Corp. and SupplyScape Corp. have begun a test project to track pharmaceuticals through the supply chain using radio frequency identification tags or bar codes. The effort was launched to cut down on counterfeit medicines, the companies said today.
The "electronic drug pedigree" program will track the distribution of Oxycontin, a narcotic made by Purdue Pharma LP, from the drug maker's manufacturing facility to Springfield, Ill.-based wholesaler H.D. Smith, said Brenda Kelly, who is vice president of marketing and also manages regulatory affairs at SupplyScape. Oxycontin, which is used for moderate to severe pain and can be addictive, in recent years became a high-profile target of addicts attempting to obtain fraudulent prescriptions.
Technology for the project has been developed, with implementation now under way, said Todd Skrinary, partner at Unisys Healthcare and Life Sciences. Tracking is expected to begin in July.
An eight-week implementation stage will be followed by 60 to 90 days of monitoring the supply chain, Skrinary said in an e-mail regarding the announcement. State regulations that are evolving will drive the adoption pattern over the next 12 to 18 months, and subsequent phases of the project could include more products, distribution centers and the addition of pharmacies, he said.
Five states have passed laws with various time frames requiring the implementation of electronic pedigrees on drugs, and a stay placed on a federal regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will expire in the coming months, forcing companies to also comply with those mandates, she said.
RFID uses very small tags with radio antennae that can be placed on products for tracking. The tags can carry serial numbers for tracking items through supply chains and have begun to find widespread use throughout the retail industry.
While state and federal regulations don't require RFID tracking for pharmaceuticals, the technology is one way to establish a pedigree, as are bar-code systems, Kelly said. Laws generally require a record of which companies had possession of the pharmaceuticals and when and to whom the drugs were sold, establishing an entire chain of custody.
Unisys, a global IT services and products company based in Blue Bell, Penn., is handling project management, as well as systems integration and infrastructure management services. SupplyScape, based in Cambridge, Mass., provides electronic pedigree software. Purdue, based in Stamford, Conn., specializes in pain-relieving medicines distributed both by prescription and over-the-counter. Wholesaler H.D. Smith is based in Springfield, Ill.