Counterfeit drugs in the global supply chain cost the pharmaceutical industry between $50 million and $100 million annually per company in lost revenue and brand reputation damage, and present potentially serious risks to patients in need of the actual prescribed medication. In response to this growing threat, global consultant Capgemini has created the first Pharmaceutical RFID (radio frequency identification) Global Center of Excellence to provide pharmaceutical firms with an integrated solution to help pilot drug pedigree technology and eliminate counterfeit drugs.
Capgemini and SupplyScape, a software vendor in this field, announced a joint initiative designed to deliver an open, secure development environment to test anti-counterfeiting RFID pilots, at Capgemini's innovative RFID Center of Excellence in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The initiative allows pharmaceutical companies to pilot their drug pedigree authentication programs with the leading experts in RFID solution design. RFID is fundamentally a track-and-trace technology that can automate and streamline the collection of information about individual products, and provide access to historical data, as it moves through the supply chain. Alternatively, clients can port this technology to their own location to work through their individual business issues.
"Counterfeit drugs don't just create a patient safety issue, they are also a serious business problem," said Paul Nannetti, global life sciences leader for Capgemini. "By maximizing brand security within the proposed FDA timeline, the pharmaceutical industry can meet its obligations and achieve significant return on investment, as well as improvements in efficiency and accuracy."
The RFID Center of Excellence utilizes proven hardware and software to enable pharmaceutical companies to create individualized solutions for combating drug counterfeiting in compliance with the recommendations of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, as well as the requirements of the states of Florida and Nevada.
"Through our special relationship with SupplyScape, we can assist clients in providing the environment for authentication pilots," says Derek Crates, global leader for life science technology solutions for Capgemini. "We're confident that our relationship with SupplyScape will enable us to implement standards and procedures to help combat drug counterfeiting business problems industrywide."
Recently, Sun Microsystems and ADT Security Systems have joined Capgemini in the development of the RFID Center of Excellence.
For more information, visit www.capgemini.com/life.
