XStream Systems to Present at Anti-Counterfeiting Conference

XStream Systems, Inc. announced today that it is scheduled to present at an Anti-Counterfeiting and Anti-Diversion conference which will be held on October 20 -21, 2008 in Vienna, Virginia.

The Center for Business Intelligence (CBI) has organized an annual conference to examine this extremely topical and important issue near the nation’s capitol.

The program of the conference is focused on preparing industry thought leaders for pending Federal Legislation and in the discussion of combating the illicit trade of pharmaceuticals by implementing security measures and tracking system.

XStream will be presenting a break out titled; Materials Authentication and Verification within the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain: Working with and Moving Beyond Track and Trace.

“We are excited about discussing the alternative solutions that work with and go beyond the capabilities of Track and Trace technologies to a group of influential industry stakeholders, “stated Alan Clock, SVP of XStream Systems. “No one product or solution will totally protect the global and domestic drug supply, the attendees of this conference will have a major influence in shaping the protection of the medications on which we all rely.”

To find out more about the CBI Conference or XStream Systems, visit the sites below:
http://www.cbinet.com/show_conference.cfm?confCode=PC08089&field=speakers
http://www.xstreamsystems.net/news.html

What the True Pharmaceutical Security Focus Should Be: Authentication

As many of those who have spent many years within the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain, I watch the major players within the pharmaceutical industry jockey and debate the current initiatives that are intended to secure the safety and efficacy of the medications that we in the United States take daily.

In this era of globalization we in the United States find ourselves increasingly consuming medications that use foreign produced raw materials, outsourced manufacturing and are packaged overseas. Although most of these efforts are managed and regulated according to tight corporate and FDA scrutiny, serious issues have arisen recently which demonstrate nefarious intent to circumvent the safety and security of these globally produced products.

Additionally we find international and domestic criminal organizations, realizing the potential of high profits and low risk, using sophisticated operations to adulteration, dilute or counterfeit medications that make their way into our drug stores and healthcare providers.

The threats to our safety as a nation are real. The danger that contaminated, adulterated, diluted or counterfeit medications that our population currently faces is increasing every day.

Unfortunately we find that there are few deterrents or regulatory processes in place to adequately protect our population from these sophisticated threats to our collective health.

Currently the Congress, Federal and State regulatory agencies are grappling with the most effective way to deal with this clear and present danger. To date most if not all of their efforts have been focused on track and trace technologies and protocols. Track and trace encompass RFID, advance bar codes; hologram labels technology and pedigree protocols.

Although these efforts are part of the solution, they fall short of truly and efficiently solving the problem. The obstacles to quickly adapting them as an effective solution are many. They are costly, time consuming to adopt, have numerous technical challenges, are not standardized and most importantly require each member of the supply chain to be synchronized and monitored for them to be an effective deterrent.

However the biggest drawback is that the only thing that track and trace technologies and protocols adequately track and trace is the packaging that the medication is packaged. Despite all of the cost, technical challenges and time consuming efforts that they entail, these efforts do not authenticate or verify the actual contents which may have been adulterated, counterfeited, diluted or contaminated at one of various points within the supply chain.

Currently XStream Systems, XT250 technology has the ability to quickly, efficiently and effectively authenticate and verify the contents of the medication within the sealed container. This process can happen in a very cost effective manner anywhere within the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain with little or no change in processes or protocols. It can complement existing Track and Trace initiatives by actually providing authentication documentation or operate as a standalone system.

The cost of implementing and operating authentication technology such as the XT250 is a fraction of the initial start up costs of an RFID system and it could be operational in a fraction of the time that it would take for one segment of the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain to implement universally.

Maybe it is just too obvious but I hope that those in a position to make a difference take time to look at filling in the gaps in the current mindset and direction of protecting our Pharmaceutical Supply Chain. Hopefully they discover that the ultimate solution is to authenticate and verify what is in the bottle.

Alan Clock, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, XStream Systems, Inc.

Healthcare Magazine Covers "Unique" Pharmaceutical Safety Solution

XStream Systems' answer to pharmaceutical authentication concerns in the industry are summarized in the April/May issue of Healthcare Distributor Magazine. The company's coverage is part of an article written by Bruce Kneeland on the future and safety of the supply chain.

The piece focused on the presentations, attendees and outcomes of a recent event in Pennsylvania on Feb. 26-27, 2008:

At the Secure Pharma 2008 conference in Philadelphia, Alan Clock and John Lundquist of XStream Systems discussed their new technology and the benefits it offers. The company's EDXRD systems are able to "scan" the contents of sealed bottles of pharmaceuticals. This breakthrough technique allows medicines to stay inside the manufacturer's or repackager's bottles, if if they are opaque.

Mr. Kneeland refers to the solution as "approaching the problem from a completely unique direction," which is absolutely true.

More information on Bruce Kneeland can be found at pharmacyconnections.com, and XStream Systems' website is xstreamsystems.net.

Is Your Medicine Filled with Empty Promises?

Your doctor prescribed a medicine to cure what ails you, and at first the prescription seems to really do the trick, but lately it’s just not living up to its billing. What went wrong? Until recently few of us, would even utter the thought: Could it be counterfeit?

Counterfeit drugs are on the rise, and what’s worse they are infiltrating our legitimate supply chain. So what can you as a consumer do to minimize your exposure to counterfeit drugs?

The FDA has a very informative website to keep consumers abreast of developments. Listed on the site are the latest recalls and issues. Also listed on the site are steps consumers can take to minimize their risks:

1. Only buy from authorized sources such as your local pharmacist.
2. Avoid buying from internet pharmacies (unless VIPP approved). Over 50% of medicines bought over the internet are found to be counterfeit.
3. Avoid buying prescriptions from outside the US.
4. Be vigilant in examining your personal medication: Does it look the same? Taste the same? Are the seals and tamper proof packaging in tact?
5. After taking your medication, be sure to report any new and usual side effects to your physician.

To further combat counterfeit drugs, the FDA has developed a website reporting system to track consumer’s adverse reactions to prescriptions. Often consumers do not associate adverse reactions to the possibility that their medication could be counterfeit and some of these reactions (as seen in the recent heparin cases) can be fatal.

In this day and age, it really is “let the buyer beware!” A savvy consumer will be vigilant in their inspection of medication, cautious in their purchase, and insistent on the highest quality of standards from their pharmacist and his suppliers.

In the United States, you should report incidents to the Medwatch program by clicking the logo on the right. You can also call by phone: 1-800-322-1088.