RFID plan for drug bottles

IN A MOVE THAT MAY HAVE implications throughout the industry, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants to heighten the safety and security of the nation's drug supply by placing radio frequency identification (RFID) technology tags on drug bottles.

RFID is a technology that uses electronic tags on product packaging to allow manufacturers and distributors to more precisely keep track of drug products as they move through the supply chain. It is similar to the technology used for tollbooth and fuel purchasing passes.

In conjunction with the plan, pharmaceutical companies Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, and Purdue Pharma unveiled their own plans. Pfizer said it wants to place RFID tags on all bottles of Viagra intended for sale in the U.S. in 2005. GlaxoSmithKline said it intends to begin using RFID tags in the next 12 to 18 months on at least one product deemed susceptible to counterfeiting.

Purdue Pharma said it will place RFID tags on bottles of OxyContin to make it easier to authenticate as well as track and trace this pain medication. Based on the availability of sufficient RFID tags, Purdue also plans to tag bottles of Palladone, a newly approved product to treat persistent moderate to severe pain. OxyContin, a controlled substance, has been subject to abuse as well as theft and diversion.

"Radio frequency identification technology is an innovative response to the challenge of counterfeit drugs," said Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson." It is our goal to ensure that the drugs available in the United States are among the safest in the world."

"Today's actions were designed with one goal in mind: to increase the safety of medications consumers receive by creating the capacity to track a drug from the manufacturer all the way to the pharmacy," said Dr. Lester M. Crawford, acting FDA commissioner.

RFID technology makes it easier to ensure that drugs are authentic, and it also creates an electronic pedigree, or record of the chain of custody, from the point of manufacture to the point of dispensing, officials said.

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