IBM and TAGSYS unveiled in November 2007 an integrated offering to help pharmaceutical manufacturers rapidly pilot and use RFID technologies for item level serialization in their packaging operations. Serialization is the first step towards compliance with California’s drug pedigree regulations and the basis for improved supply chain performance.
As of January 1, 2009, all prescription drugs being sold in the State of California must bear a unique identifier that can be used to track products throughout the supply chain, making it easier to identify counterfeits and prevent them from reaching patients. The new IBM and TAGSYS offering provides the hardware, software, and services needed to validate the performance, reliability, and cost-effectiveness of RFID for this purpose.
The Serialization Pilot Kit offered by IBM and TAGSYS will be available in December. It includes:
– Tags: 50,000 High Frequency (HF) TAGSYS tags ready to be integrated into the product and 1000 Ultra High Frequency (UHF) tags for case level serialization. — RFID Hardware: TAGSYS HF reader stations (based on the new L400 Long Range Reader) with integrated diverters that can be easily added to a packaging line, HF/UHF stations for associating items to cases, and a UHF RFID printer to print case labels. — Software: The IBM WebSphere Premises Server software to manage the RFID data capture process, associate items with production run data, and generate serialization reports. — Services: The necessary services to install and configure the system for optimal performance.
This offering can be deployed in under four weeks for $125,000. With it, pharmaceutical manufacturers can learn how easily and quickly RFID can be applied in packaging operations, evaluate the accuracy and reliability of the technology at production speeds, and make an informed choice on their path to item level serialization. Since the hardware is provided for the duration of the pilot, clients can use RFID with minimal risk and expense.
TAGSYS will provide customers with the same expertise and architecture used in its Six Sigma Performance Program, a quality-of-service program that guarantees fewer than four failures in one million read opportunities. IBM’s depth of experience in systems integration and its robust software platform ensure that customers get a proven solution that is rapidly deployable.
“This is an excellent way for pharmaceutical manufacturers who need to track their products through the supply chain to evaluate RFID for item level serialization,” said John Del Pizzo, pharmaceutical track & trace solutions executive for IBM. “TAGSYS’s expertise in delivering Six Sigma Performance to pharmaceutical manufacturers and its migration path to the upcoming EPCglobal Version 2 HF standard help take the technology risk out of the equation.”
“IBM’s relationships with the world’s leading pharmaceutical manufacturers give it the business insight customers need to get up and running with RFID quickly and without disrupting normal operations,” said John Jordan, president of worldwide operations, TAGSYS.
The Serialization Pilot Kit can be upgraded to IBM’s full Solution for Pharmaceutical Track & Trace. The full solution automates event capture by integrating into real-time operational systems, incorporates receiving and pick-pack-ship processes for distribution centers, and leverages IBM’s WebSphere RFID Information Center’s new ePedigree feature to meet California pedigree requirements and enable supply chain optimizations.
http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/23372.wss
IBM’s WebSphere RFID Information Center Is the First to Meet Both EPCIS and Drug Pedigree Messaging Standards
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Ratified in January 2007, the DMPS gives participants in the pharmaceutical supply chain access to historical data concerning who has had custody of drug shipments from the date of manufacture. Drug shipments can be automatically scanned and validated, and their electronic certificates of authenticity — known as ePedigrees — can be accessed at any time. IBM also achieved EPCglobal certification on the Electronic Product Code Information Services (EPCIS) standard in October 2007.
“As a key participant in the creation of the EPCIS standard, IBM remains committed to EPCIS as the best approach to achieving ePedigree compliance,” said Christian C. Clauss, Director of Sensor Information Management for IBM Software Group. “While backwards compatibility with the Document model is still important to some of our customers, it is clear that there is a rapid industry migration underway to the EPCIS model, which we see as the best ePedigree technique for pharmaceutical supply chain of the future.”
To be certified as DPMS compliant, the IBM WebSphere RFID Information Center’s ePedigree feature passed a battery of tests to ensure that it can be used to create, receive, and append drug pedigree documents. Testing was conducted on EPCglobal’s behalf by an independent company, MetLabs.
“IBM WebSphere RFID Information Center is the first software to comply fully with both the DPMS and EPCIS standards,” said Nick Fergusson, director of certification, GS1 EPCglobal. “The product allows for secure and efficient data sharing among trading partners using either DPMS or EPCIS-compliant solutions.”
WebSphere RFID Information Center is a proven solution for companies seeking to share product movement information with trading partners using EPCIS or DPMS-compliant solutions. The software includes an optional ePedigree feature that provides all participants in the pharmaceutical supply chain with secure access to historical data on individual bottles of medicine to enable compliance with current and emerging regulations. In the pharmaceutical business, the product will be used successfully by drug distributor AmerisourceBergen in its Sacramento pilot, and by a large global pharmaceutical manufacturer.
“IBM’s ability to support both EPCIS and DPMS standards makes its ePedigree offering unique in the industry,” said Heather Zenk, director, Integrated Solutions, AmerisourceBergen. “Using this solution, we will be able to share drug pedigree information with our trading partners using either standard and build towards the future.”
For more information, please visit:
IBM WebSphere RFID Information Center: http://www.ibm.com/software/data/masterdata/rfid
