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by Bill McBeath, Contributing Editor Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2005 11:39:00 AM   | Abstract: | Some pharmaceutical and medical device makers see the technology as a way to bring better visibility and precision to the recall and anti-diversion processes. |
About 12% of the 275 manufacturing companies surveyed by Managing Automation and ChainLink Research Inc. say they will be using RFID for chain of custody and recall processes. Of these, about half are either pharmaceutical or medical device companies, which have strong regulatory requirements around these processes. About 77% of these companies plan to use RFID for chain of custody tracking through their distributors and wholesalers. In contrast, only 33% plan to do chain of custody tracking through to retailers. This may reflect the much larger infrastructure investment required for outfitting the entire retail channel vs. wholesale and distribution locations and/or the greater influence manufacturers have over their distributors vs. influence over retailers. Much of the benefit of tracking chain of custody for both anti-diversion and recall purposes can be realized by outfitting distributors and wholesalers with RFID, without having to extend tracking to the retailer. [Click to continue] |