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European markets for RFID in Pharmaceuticals
Frost & Sullivan, Dec 2006, Pages: 32
This Frost & Sullivan research service titled European Markets for RFID in Pharmaceuticals provides an overview of RFID technology, challenges faced in RFID adoption, key market drivers, as well as restraints. In this research, Frost & Sullivan's expert analysts examine RFID technology and its applications in pharmaceuticals to combat drug counterfeiting.
Technologies
The following technologies are covered in this research:
High Frequency (HF)
Ultra-high frequency (UHF)
Market Overview
Increase in Drug Counterfeiting to Promote Radio Frequency Identification Adoption
In the next two to three years, pharmaceuticals are set to be the next big growth area for radio frequency identification (RFID). Accordingly, it will become important for RFID vendors to have an early mover advantage in order to capture a sizeable market share. Given the increasing benefits of the RFID technology in the retail and consumer packaged goods industry, a domino effect is likely to be seen in the pharmaceuticals space. Thus, the healthcare and pharmaceuticals segment presents a strong business proposition for RFID technology. Pharmaceutical companies are now focussed on pilot activities to integrate this technology into their supply chains.
The absence of integration across the supply chain and the inability to track products at each stage has given rise to counterfeiting of drug products. About 5 to 8 per cent of prescription drugs around the world are counterfeit, which is a big liability for pharmaceutical companies. 'The future of RFID in Europe will continue to be driven by the increasing number of counterfeit products in the market resulting from deficiencies in the supply chain and the legalised parallel trade between the member nations,' notes the analyst of this research service. 'Concerns over the increase in drug counterfeiting activities loom large across the pharmaceutical supply chain. Thus, RFID is gaining acceptance among major pharmaceutical companies as an effective tool to combat counterfeiting.'
Focus on Interoperability and Data Sharing Issues Crucial for Success of RFID Deployment
The use of RFID technology is relatively new in the healthcare vertical, where bar coding is the technology used by most end users. 'While 2D data matrix is perceived to be a better choice, RFID offers significant advantages,' explains the analyst. 'In comparison to two-dimensional bar codes, it does not require line of sight for accurate reading of product information and can scan multiple products at any given point of time.' Hence, to ensure this transition from bar codes to RFID, vendors will need to work together with government bodies. They will also need to keep themselves abreast of the regulatory and technological requirements of different countries in Europe. However, it must be noted that in the short-term companies can ill afford to dispense with bar codes and will need to adopt an informed approach in the deployment of RFID.
In addition to the above, uncertainty still prevails over the use of frequencies, feasibility of integration of the supply chain and the cost-effectiveness of RFID deployment. Interoperability and the harmonisation of standards also remains a key issue. This will need to be addressed and effective implementation depends on the early harmonisation of global standards on RFID. Concerns also remain over security issues resulting from data sharing between supply chain partners. Overall, success or failure of adoption will depend on the willingness of pharmaceutical companies to test RFID on their products. Hence, RFID vendors will need to demonstrate their capabilities in a collaborative effort and be more proactive by working in tandem with pharmaceutical companies on-site to promote the benefits of RFID.
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