RFID curbs drug counterfeit

Stokes, regional director of e-trade at Axway Asia-Pacific, the World Health Organisation, estimates that up to 50% of drugs worldwide are counterfeit, translating to $38 billion in legitimate corporate sales lost each year, says BusinessWeek.

Kozhikote Jayan, director of pharma and life sciences at HP Asia-Pacific, claims the counterfeit drug trade puts everyone in the supply chain at risk; ranging from raw material providers to manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, logistics service providers, pharmacies and distribution institutions, such as clinics and hospitals.

Jayan says deploying RFID and global positioning system technologies along the drug supply chain helps to combat counterfeiting: "Ultimately, RFID tags make business sense because they help in tracking the consignment at every stage."

Supply chain management and communications consulting firm, XIO Strategies, has partnered with RFID Revolution, to drive an RFID training course to the US federal government, reports RFID Ready.

“The RFID Essentials course is a robust, interactive Web-based tool that brings real-world applications right to the desktop,” says James Clark, COO of XIO Strategies.

Leslie Downey, founder of RFID Revolution, adds: “RFID Essentials is a new kind of e-learning in which users exercise critical and creative thinking in real-world, simulated applications - exactly what they need to implement this transformative technology.”

Swiss watchmaker Winwatch has developed an RFID-enabled crystal gasket, ready for installation in any kind of wristwatch, states RFID News.

The gasket enables wristwatch wholesalers, retailers and customers the ability to trace the origin of a watch back to its place of production, confirming the watch's authenticity.

On the manufacturing end, the RFID-enabled part allows watches to be tracked throughout the production process and, once shipped out, along the supply chain.