RFID Pharma Supply Chain: Track and Trace EPCIS Pilot

AmerisourceBergen announces innovative Track and Trace Program that will benefit the pharmaceutical supply channel. Its pilot program connects AmerisourceBergen's EPCIS directly to other business partner EPCIS systems and to specific pharmaceutical manufacturer systems. In Q1-2007, VeriSign will provide authentication services and enable visibility across multiple EPCIS systems. ...

... "AmerisourceBergen has been a leader in protecting the integrity of the pharmaceutical supply channel, first by pledging over one year ago to purchase 100 percent of its pharmaceutical and other products directly from the product manufacturer, and now by launching a unique Track and Trace initiative which will utilize RFID and Electronic Product Code Information System (EPCIS) technology to track and trace products throughout the entire distribution process. AmerisourceBergen plans to formally launch the Track and Trace pilot program at its largest distribution center in California by the end of 2006. In the pilot, AmerisourceBergen will use IBM's RFID middleware and embedded software on readers to read RFID tags currently used by certain pharmaceutical manufacturers as those products enter the distribution center. The unique product ID from each RFID tag will be electronically stored in IBM's EPCIS, which will be the platform for secure electronic communications back to the product's manufacturer. This secure information exchange will allow AmerisourceBergen and its trading partners to work collaboratively to share transaction information and further secure the supply channel. As new orders come into the AmerisourceBergen distribution center, the RFID system can monitor product placed in shipping totes as they move through the picking, packing, and shipping processes. As each tote leaves the distribution center the EPCIS software will record the time and location of each unit leaving the premises as well as its intended destination so that AmerisourceBergen has a complete record of the history of all RFID tagged drugs. " ...

Via AmerisourceBergen: AmerisourceBergen Announces Innovative Track and Trace Program for the Pharmaceutical Supply Channel