In the ongoing battle against counterfeit drugs, NXP Semiconductors’ has announced its new ICODE UID-OTP smart label IC. The new chip goes a long way towards improving patient safety, securing the pharmaceutical supply chain and supporting US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) electronic pedigree requirements.
NXP’s ICODE high-frequency (13.56 MHz) RFID ICs are already being used for item-level tagging of pharmaceuticals to track and trace individual product items 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 chip 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. ICODE UID OTP can also help improve the process of developing drugs and running clinical trials. All data can be electronically stored and linked to the label, helping to decrease the amount of paperwork required. This also helps reduce human error when entering data and ensures procedure compliance in sample tracking. The result is faster and more accurate statistics, helping pharmaceutical companies to bring new drugs to market more quickly.
ICODE UID-OTP ICs are already being implemented in hardware and labels from TAGSYS. These are being rolled out in pharmaceutical tracking programs that provide end-to-end security for high-value prescription drugs in the supply chain.
“TAGSYS works closely with NXP to enable the rapid and effective adoption of RFID in the pharmaceutical supply chain for leading drug manufacturers,” said John Jordon, president of worldwide operations for TAGSYS. “TAGSYS and NXP take a ‘silicon-to-system’ approach to deliver RFID infrastructure capable of operating under TAGSYS’ Six Sigma Performance Program – a six sigma read-rate guarantee that ensures data integrity and accuracy in the track and trace of drug shipments.”
With NXP’RFID technology, consumers have personal security in the knowledge they are purchasing genuine drugs. The pharmaceutical industry benefits from optimized counterfeit protection, increased inventory control, shelf-driven replenishment, reduced labor costs, and overall improved manufacturing and supply chain efficiency.
ICODE UID OTP features
- NXP programmed unique identifier (UID)
- Supports EPC or customer-specific numbering schemes
- Runs on ISO 15693 infrastructures with simple reader firmware update
- Anti-collision with identification speeds of up to 200 labels/s
- Destroy command with 24-bit code protection
- One-time-programmable user memory
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