RFID is Dead...

RFID is Dead…at Unit Level in Pharma or so says Dirk Rodgers, an industry veteran and active blogger.

Supported by excellent data, Mr. Rodgers in his opinion blog RxTrace.com posted a very good op/ed regarding RFID and its place within the pharmaceutical supply chain.

RFID technology originally developed as an inventory management tool was considered the panacea to the issue of fraudulent, adulterated and counterfeit medications by many industry insiders but their implementation and use as a solution has fallen short.

Bogus medications have now proliferated into a $75 billion annual worldwide criminal activity as the pharmaceutical supply chain has become more global.

In Mr. Rodgers' piece, he gives the historical perspective, graphs on costs, supply chain perspectives and insight into the reason that RFID has failed and will continue to fail as the ultimate solution within the supply chain.

Mr. Rodgers' concludes that RFID still has a place for use in bulk/case containers but feels that barcodes on individual units will ultimately become the norm because of costs.

Secure Pharma Chain Blog agrees in essence with Mr. Rodgers' case regarding RFID and barcodes. Ultimately we believe that tags, barcodes and other track and trace technologies are effective in what they do and that they are an import part but not the definitive solution to solving the issue of fraudulent, adulterated and counterfeit medications. Unfortunately these technologies only tell you information on the transaction and packaging.

What is most important in supply chain security is what is inside the box.

Secure Pharma Chain Blog believes in a multiple layered approach that includes transactional tracing but ultimately relies on material identification of the product to authenticate the product as it migrates throughout the supply chain.

To read Mr. Rodgers' entire blog, visit: http://www.rxtrace.com/2010/04/rfid-is-dead-at-unit-level-in-pharma.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rxtrace%2Fvqly+%28RxTrace%29.

To learn more about supply chain material authentication solutions, visit: http://www.xstreamsystems.net/.