NXP Semiconductors - RFID Supply Chain Solutions

NXP is a top 10 semiconductor company founded by Philips more than 50 years ago. Headquartered in Europe, the company has 37,000 employees working in more than 20 countries and posted sales of €5 billion in 2006. NXP creates semiconductors, system solutions and software that deliver better sensory experiences in mobile phones, personal media players, TVs, set-top boxes, identification applications, cars and a wide range of other electronic devices.

With about two billion RFID-based chips sold to date, NXP Semiconductors is the world’s leader in the design and manufacturing of contactless chips used in smart cards, smart labels and tags as well as in car access and immobilizer systems and the corresponding reader components. NXP’s most comprehensive IC portfolio covers all relevant RFID frequency bands and meets all relevant standards (ISO, EPC global).

It is used across a diverse set of applications, such as supply chain management and logistics functions including pharmaceutical and livestock tracking. As well as in various transportation applications which provide consumers with greater convenience and safety. The company offers its RFID technology as an open platform and is an active promoter of global standards to build the foundation for widespread adoption.

RFID - BENEFITS FOR THE PHARMACEUTICAL SUPPLY CHAIN

With the track and trace technology maturing, RFID has been recognized as one of the most promising technologies to secure the pharmaceutical supply chain and to comply with e-pedigree regulations. Product availability increases as RFID is used to accelerate replenishment cycles in the supply chain and the process of reverse logistics is simplified. Companies like Pfizer and Purdue Pharma have already begun using RFID technology to track their respective drugs, viagra and OxyContin.

COMBAT THE COUNTERFEITERS WITH RFID

Most importantly, consumers are protected from non-genuine drugs. As counterfeiters grow in sophistication, it is ultimately up to the industry as a whole to account for and enhance patient safety. RFID can help to create additional barriers to criminals attempting to counterfeit pharmaceutical products. Patients who use medicines should feel confident they're getting the authentic product, not potentially dangerous fakes.

RFID TAGGING TECHNOLOGY - ICODE

NXP’s RFID technology is well suited to secure, track and trace as well as authenticate pharmaceutical products. The companies ICODE high-frequency (13.56MHz) RFID ICs are already being used for item-level tagging of drugs throughout the supply chain.

The latest product in the range, the ICODE UID-OTP, features an NXP-programmed Unique Identifier (UID) guaranteeing the RFID tag is unique and has a One-Time-Programmable (OTP) user memory that locks the user data after programming. The product also supports a destroy command, allowing the RFID tag to be permanently disabled when the customer picks up their prescription from the pharmacy, ensuring their privacy.

The new ICODE IC features enhanced anti-collision technology and enables read rates of up to 200 labels per second, helping speed processes and improving efficiency all along the supply chain from the manufacturer to the pharmacy shelf.

Advancements in RFID technologies continue to mature with a push towards standardisation for item level tagging. Development in the short-range wireless Near Field Communication (NFC) technology used in portable devices for drug authentication will also accelerated the use of RFID.