HOSPITAL

How RFID Technology Protects Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

©2004 Agnew Moyer Smith Inc. 7177

2Packaging supplier “writes” to the tag the EPC number assigned by the manu-facturer and embeds the tag in empty packaging materials.

3Raw materials are tagged to allow the product’s pedigree to extend back as far as needed.

4Manufacturer receives raw materials and records their EPC numbers in the manufac-turer’s database, linking raw material data to final product EPC and building pedigree.

6Additional EPC numbers are assigned to cases, cartons, and pallets as products are aggregated. The aggregation information is recorded in the manufacturer's database.

11Virtual agents continually monitor EPC numbers through-out the supply chain and instantly highlight any EPC numbers that are odd, dupli-cated, or out of place.

14Administering errors can be reduced by scanning patient ID and drug EPC number and automatically comparing the associated information to check for expiration date and pedigree and to ensure a match to the physician’s prescription.

15RFID readers on recycling bins can detect the tags of discarded products and deduce that they have reached the end of the supply chain.

17EPC numbers become inactive when the product reaches the end of the supply chain, but product information remains in the database.

16Insurance companies can collect a wealth of accurate and useful information when the EPC number of a drug is linked to a specific patient at the point when a drug is actually administered.

5EPC number and product information are recorded in the manufacturer’s database at the end of the manufacturing process. Ony products with valid EPC numbers can move through the supply chain.

9Sensors can record conditions throughout the supply chain and add this information to the product’s history.

12Prescription errors can be reduced by automatically comparing the data associated with a product’s EPC number to customer’s records.

13POS system detects when a product is purchased at a phar-macy and leaves the supply chain.

10Advance Shipping Notices (ASN) give the wholesaler detailed EPC data about ship-ments before products arrive. Radio frequency scans of incoming shipments can reveal mismatches before products come off the truck. 7

Kits can be assembled with both tagged and untagged products. If needed, a kit can have its own unique EPC number.

MANUFACTURER

API

MANUFACTURER

REPACKAGER

PACKAGING

SUPPLIER

Wholesaler’s Database

Advanced Shipping Notice

Shipper’s Database

Kit

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Retailer’s DatabaseAPI Manufacturer’s Database

Packaging Supplier’s Database

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RETAILER PHARMACY

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1Manufacturer assigns a unique EPC number to each product to allow track and trace throughout the supply chain.

8Sharing data among tradingpartners removes the burden of collecting and storing every detail. The EPC number serves as a key to ensure a perfect match between products and their data. Security rules prevent unauthorized parties from accessing sensitive data.

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