GlaxoSmithKline trials RFID drug tagging

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has said that it will tag some of its products with an electronic system as part of a project to protect patient safety.

The radio frequency identification (RFID) technology will be placed on all bottles of the HIV medicine Trizivir in the United States, meaning that the authenticity of all bottles of the medicine can be confirmed.

“This is one more step toward safeguarding Americans’ supply of medicine,” said Mark Shaefer, vice president of the HIV and Infectious Disease Medicine Development Centre at GSK.

“The hope is that RFID tags can tighten the supply chain even further to help assure patients that the medicine they buy is indeed the medicine their doctor has prescribed.”

RFID technology, which uses a sensor the size of a stamp, does not collect any patient data, GSK has said. The tag can be read to ensure safe shipment and receipt of products by wholesalers and pharmacies.

GSK has also said that the use of the technology on Trizivir will serve as a pilot for the use of RFID on other products in the future.

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