Packager Uses Tags to Protect Injectables

West Pharmaceutical Services has released an RFID-based product and service offering to help pharmaceutical manufacturers guard injectable drugs against counterfeiting. Many injectable pharmaceuticals have a high value—a single vial of some drugs can cost thousands of dollars—so counterfeiters can make a significant profit by selling fake or highly diluted versions of the drugs. For this reason, protecting injectable drugs from counterfeiting is especially important to drug manufacturers.

West Pharmaceutical Services has released an RFID-based product and service offering to help pharmaceutical manufacturers guard injectable drugs against counterfeiting. Many injectable pharmaceuticals have a high value—a single vial of some drugs can cost thousands of dollars—so counterfeiters can make a significant profit by selling fake or highly diluted versions of the drugs. For this reason, protecting injectable drugs from counterfeiting is especially important to drug manufacturers. Integrating RFID tags, however, into the packaging for injectable drugs poses significant challenges: Injectable drugs are liquid, and they come in vials sealed with aluminum foil. Liquid and metals can cause RF interference. An additional benefit of the Spectra Flip-Off seal is that once the entire seal is removed, it cannot be reattached. This is because the structure of the aluminum foil seal under the plastic button changes when it is removed. The plastic button that sits on top of the foil seal, however, can be removed without compromising the integrity of the foil seal. Important drug information, such as recommended dosage and expiration dates, can be printed on the aluminum seal. This will allow users of the drugs to remove the plastic button containing the RFID tag at the point of purchase—which they might want to do so that the RFID tag does not remain with the product as they leave the pharmacy—without also removing important prescription information and without compromising the integrity of the drug inside the vial. One major global pharmaceutical manufacturer, the name of which neither Tagsys nor West could disclose, is currently conducting a pilot test of the West Spectra packaging. Jordon says this testing consists of tagging a small quantity of vials and putting them through the pharmaceutical maker's supply chain. When they reach their final destination, whether a pharmacy or a hospital, the vials' tags are read to certify that they are still functioning. The tagged vials, however, are not being sold or administered. Mooney says West is in discussions with a half-dozen other pharmaceutical companies that are also interested in testing the packaging.