Sun Microsystems announced the availability of the Sun RFID Industry Solution for Drug Authentication, a combination of software, hardware and services to addresses the specific requirements of the pharmaceutical industry. The Sun RFID Industry Solution for Drug Authentication helps to combat drug counterfeiting by verifying and certifying the authenticity of drugs using Electronic Product Codes (EPC) or electronic pedigrees across the supply chain.
Drug counterfeiting and diverting (fraudulently obtaining prescription drugs and reselling them) introduce inefficiencies into the supply chain, dilute company brand names, represent enormous costs to pharmaceutical manufacturers and most of all, expose consumers to health risks via counterfeit dispensing. Unlike packaged goods, pharmaceutical drugs have high market values, unique storage requirements and small unit sizes that make it necessary to track individual bottles or even individual doses. Pharmaceutical companies can use the Sun RFID Drug Authentication Solution to verify a drug package's validity and authenticity as it moves through the supply chain, from the manufacturer to the hands of the consumer at the point-of-sale.
"Introducing the Sun RFID Industry Solution for Drug Authentication demonstrates Sun's continued commitment to delivering RFID solutions that address the specific requirements of vertical industries. For the pharmaceutical industry, using bar codes to secure the drug supply chain is impractical and inefficient because bar codes have limitations around item level identification and require manual intervention," said Vivek Khandelwal, principal RFID solutions manager for Sun's RFID Business Unit. "Sun is leveraging our RFID-technology expertise, along with that of third-party companies, to bring drug manufacturers and distributors a solution that helps distinguish legitimate products from counterfeit and helps our customers prevent loss in revenue and maintain drug integrity."
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