Verify Brand, Rehrig Pacific and Intelleflex address the California Board of Pharmacy regarding e-pedigree and serialization
RFID-based Track-and-Trace Solutions with Intelligent Reusable Transport Items Support Anti-counterfeiting and Can Overcome Remaining Obstacles to Pending E-Pedigree Requirements
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Jan. 9, 2013 – Representatives from Verify Brand, Rehrig Pacific Company and Intelleflex presented to the California Board of Pharmacy on December 4, 2012 to discuss how pharmaceuticals and logistics companies can deploy RFID and cloud-based data services for unit serialization and implementation of secure track-and-trace applications to meet pending e-Pedigree requirements. As the California deadlines of 2015 and 2016 for e-Pedigree and individual unit serialization approach, drug companies are seeking solutions for unit serial number tracking and case- and pallet-level unique identification. While GS1 standard 2D barcodes appear to be an obvious choice for the unit level serialization, the representatives noted that RFID is poised to become the preferred choice for case- and pallet-level monitoring and traceability.
Scott Pugh of Verify Brand, Kaley Parkinson of Rehrig Pacific Company and Peter Norton of Intelleflex delivered a presentation that focused on the benefits of an integrated approach that combines powerful RFID capabilities with track-and-trace software solutions and intelligent reusable transport items. This approach would:
· Provide an e-Pedigree that meets evolving government-mandated regulatory requirements using a flexible solution that can grow and change with the application in use to prevent disruption due to upgrades and version changes.
· Provide a secure, safe, regulatory compliant and efficient method for track-and-trace throughout the supply chain while maintaining closed loop data and providing a source of data retention for applications where the closed loop becomes open distribution.
· Deliver an efficient way to read product serial numbers, ownership and condition data immediately upon receipt and without opening or disturbing the packaging — thereby providing a suitable replacement for 2D and 1D barcodes for monitoring units in cartons or on pallets.
The integrated approach presented to the Board of Pharmacy overcomes the limitations of 1D and 2D barcodes, which are static and cannot be updated as products move through distribution. The presenters showed that Battery Assisted Passive RFID tags, in conjunction with cloud-based software-as-a-service traceability solutions and intelligent returnable transport items (such as RFID-equipped plastic containers and pallets) can securely record the chain of custody data and any changes of content data at any point in the distribution cycle. This approach can aid in anti-counterfeiting and reduces the diversion of high-value drugs and temperature-sensitive biologics. It also provides an efficient method of high-quality data capture and content monitoring with the flexibility to meet changes to regulations and application upgrades.
"The real value for the e-Pedigree investments being made will not only increase consumer confidence, but at the same time reduce the time and cost for recovery," said Ann Grackin, CEO of ChainLink Research. "Companies can leverage investments in RFID, track-and-trace applications and returnable transport items to provide real-time responsive supply chain management. This information can address a variety of benefits from better inventory position, cost containment, and product locating to assure customer service, safe product dispensing, to name a few."
The presenters noted that data can be stored securely on Battery Assisted Passive tags to provide a chain-of-custody record (an RFID e-Pedigree) and a record of the aggregated individual unit serial numbers – all within the tag's memory securely to further enhance their usability in this environment. The same approach ensures that, even at the last point of the distribution chain, the authenticity of the product can be validated by reading the tag and matching its contents with those of the product's manifest. The presenters also showed that Battery-assisted Passive RFID tags can wirelessly monitor the temperature and condition of products inside cartons or containers – without requiring unpacking of their contents – to help reduce temperature excursions (variances), while ensuring the security and authenticity of the products inside the package.
"Providing pharmaceutical manufacturers with a method to serialize with random unique identifiers efficiently and track product easily is essential to building a secure supply chain," said Kevin Erdman, President of Verify Brand. "Additionally, enabling product authentication throughout the supply chain via mobile and Web applications increases manufacturers ROI from serialization efforts while meeting regulatory compliance and mitigating risk of counterfeit product from entering the supply chain."
"Using a solution that leverages the value of Intelligent Reusables that already exist in the pharmaceutical supply chain only makes sense," said Kaley Parkinson, National Sales Manager at Rehrig Pacific. "Reinventing a different, secondary alternative solution only adds cost and barriers to the rapidly approaching implementation deadline. Pairing a regulatory solution with a safer way to get medicines and biologics through the supply chain lowers implementation costs and improves patient safety at the same time."
"New e-Pedigree regulations will require pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors and logistics providers to redefine their cold supply chains, and traceability processes, said Peter Mehring, President and CEO of Intelleflex. "SaaS-based solutions, intelligent RTIs with embedded temperature monitors, and cloud-based data services like ZEST, will enable the cold chain to proactively address the new cold chain dynamics for serialization and potentially provide a solution for inference adoption."
A video of the presentation can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=064DdbZvnZw
About Verify Brand, LLC
Verify Brand is exclusively focused on enabling serialization and traceability systems for unique identification life-cycle management. The company's first customer was a medical device division of a Fortune 50 life sciences company. Verify Brand's Software as a Service, cloud-based solutions enable brand owners to address numerous supply chain security and management challenges as well as rapidly emerging regulatory commercial or government or procurement requirements for serialization and traceability around the world. Verify Brand services are helping to secure hundreds of millions of products with customers across industries and languages in more than 80 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.verifybrand.com.
About Rehrig Pacific Company
Rehrig Pacific has been helping customers find better ways to transport and store their products for nearly 100 years. Founded in 1913, Rehrig Pacific has grown to become a world-leading plastic pallet and container manufacturer serving the agriculture, pharmaceutical, bakery, beverage, dairy and material handling industries. It also manufacturers roll-out carts, recycle bins and commercial containers for the waste and recycling collection industry. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif., Rehrig Pacific serves customers with manufacturing and service locations throughout the United States and Mexico with sales offices in South America.
About Intelleflex, Inc.
Intelleflex® provides on-demand, data visibility solutions for the cold supply chain and asset management. Its award
winning XC3 Technology® RFID products and ZEST® Data Services platform enable solutions for monitoring temperature-sensitive foods and pharmaceuticals as well as asset tracking, personnel monitoring, and other applications. Intelleflex on-demand monitoring solutions can help organizations reduce shrink or loss, more closely track and manage assets, address traceability requirements, reduce cost of operations, and increase profitability. For more information, visit www.intelleflex.com. Intelleflex, XC3 Technology and ZEST are registered trademarks of Intelleflex.
All other trademarked names in this document are the properties of their respective owners.
Media Contact for Verify Brand
Sarah Oliver
Manager, Marketing and Sales Support
+1.763.235.1462
[email protected]
Media Contact for Rehrig Pacific
Kristan Grote
Marketing Communications Manager
262-947-5941
[email protected]
Media Contacts for Intelleflex
Kevin Payne
Senior Director of Marketing
Intelleflex
408-200-6567
[email protected]
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