Again pharmaceutical: RFID can boost service level...

Filed in archive Technology on November 16, 2006

The vice president and general manager of global packaging services at Cardinal Health has spoken of his enthusiasm regarding the implementation of ultra-High frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to improve pharmaceutical supply chain management.

Following a pilot scheme by the healthcare product and service provider that trialled the technology, Renard Jackson believes that by using RFID tags on a daily basis, the supply chain can benefit from "an added layer of safety" as a result.

UHF RFID tags had been used to aid the packaging and distribution processes at Cardinal Health during the pilot and make for a more efficient supply chain.

"While our pilot demonstrated that using UHF RFID technology at the unit, case & pallet level is feasible for track and trace purposes, a great deal of additional work needs to be undertaken by stakeholders across the industry to address significant challenges including global standards, privacy concerns and the safe handling of biologics," said Mr Jackson.

The importance of increasing security in the pharmaceutical is critical as the UHF RFID tags can successfully reduce the risk of counterfeit drugs reaching the supply chain.

According to Mikrofax it can boast the industry's most comprehensive range of healthcare products and services and is headquartered in Dublin, Ohio.