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a) PolyIC: Mile long printed logic circuits for RFID tags
b) PolyICproducts for brand authentication
c) RFID technology can make a significant contribution to the safeguarding of drugs against counterfeiting. (Photo courtesy of Siemens A&D)When we think of counterfeiting,we usually think of criminals who print copies of paper money, and indeed, this is still the world’s number one form of counterfeiting. After currency, films, music, and software are the most popular items to be illegally copied. But, in fifth place, and growing rapidly, is the counterfeiting of pharmaceutical products. This is a great concern notonly for the pharmaceutical industry, but also the food and beverage and chemical industries.
According to studies done by Siemens A&D along with the Swiss packaging supplier Limmatdruck/Zeiler, The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around seven percent of alldrugs marketed worldwide are now counterfeit. This is the equivalentof around 30 billion U.S. dollars in lost revenue. However, an even greater concern is the potential hazard that these cheap counterfeit products pose for patients. So the pressure on the pharmaceutical industry is growing as billions are being lost each year due to counterfeit drugs and consumers are put at greater risk. It is clear that the industry must take action not only to protect its revenues, but protect itspatients from the potential hazard that these cheap counterfeit products pose.
And the problem is not limited to the pharmaceuticalindustry. Counterfeiters are targeting more common food and beverage items. “There is counterfeiting of everything,” says Robert Sherwood ofauthentication vendor Sekuworks (www.sekuworks.com). Sherwood, who was quoted in the U.S. publication Packaging World, has followed securedtechnologies for 20 years, and said, “I recently bought a $2 soy sauce in China and it had a brand protection label on it. The problem is only growing.”
Responding to the growing concern, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is demanding greater safety for pharmaceutical products as of 2007. To date, the agency has only recommended that drugs be made safer but more stringent legislation is expected to go into effect by the end of 2007. Then, inadequate safety precautionscould result in severe penalties, at least in the United States. “A class-action lawsuit can force even a large pharmaceutical company to its knees,” says Stephan Ruske, project manager at Limmatdruck/Zeiler.
The potential of RFID
Some companies are now responding andtaking concrete action. Pfizer, for example, wants to start tagging all Viagra bottles, starting in the United States, with RFID transponders as early as 2006.
Mr. Ruske says Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, with transponders placed on the packaging, is one possible solution. A pilot project by Limmatdruck/Zeiler and its technology partner Siemens demonstrates what the future of pharmaceuticalpackaging could look like. “In the pharmaceutical industry, RFID technology is generally seen as a very promising solution for safeguardingdrugs against counterfeiting,” says Mr. Ruske. However, there is still a great deal of hesitation concerning applying this technology, because it is so new and has not been widely adapted.
Siemens andLimmatdruck/Zeiler have been working together to develop packaging machines with RFID technology as a key component. The machines put tabletblister packs in cardboard boxes and label them with an RFID transponder in the process. When the packaging process is complete, an electronic product code (EPC) is written on the chip, giving each individualpack a unique ID. The built-in transmitter from Siemens operates at afrequency of 13.56 megahertz, a widely used standard that is characterised by low sensitivity to interference caused by metals and liquids.
Miles of RFID tags
A key technology barrier to be overcomein the use of RFID technology is the manufacture of very high volume,low cost RFID tags. Until this can be done, the technology is too expensive to be used on ordinary consumer products.
One German manufacturer, PolyIC GmbH & Co. KG, headquartered in Fürth, believes it has come up with a solution. It can produce RFID tags as polymer components, printed on rolls of plastic. Printed electronics based on organicsemiconductors will open up new markets and applications in manifoldways, says PolyIC managing director Wolfgang Mildner. “In the past, the realisation of first products seemed to be dreams of the future. PolyIC showed continuous progress during the last three years on its wayto first products,” he says.
The company has taken a further decisive step forward by producing 13 MHz RF tags in a roll-to-roll printing process. They consist of printed polymer-electronic components that are applied onto foil-based antennas. Even logic circuits in the form of ring oscillators were realised in the process. Mr. Mildner says, “We print mile long rolls of electronic circuits. The world of printed, low-cost RFID tags lies ahead of us.” PolyIC has already reached significant technical milestones: in 2004 it was working on RFID tags based on polymer organic semiconductors. The aim of PolyIC is to reachstandardised 13.56 MHz RFID tags. For the production of low-cost RFIDtags in high quality and quantity, printing methods suited for mass production will be used. First products made of printed electronics areexpected in the course of 2007.
PolyIC is already working withpilot customers on first applications; this includes for example simplest RFID functions as for brand and forgery protection. The first products aim at these markets and applications, which protect premium products against counterfeiting and sustain the high value of the brand.Although the use of bar codes and holograms would increase safety anddecrease counterfeiting, RFID technology has the big advantage in thatit allows the product to be traced all the way to the consumer. It ispossible to envision a time when patients could use their Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) to check the authenticity of the product, andeven contact the manufacturer via the Internet if he had a question orwanted more information. It will be easier to trace the flow of the product through the logistics cycle, and keep track of use-by dates, aswell as facilitating product recalls.
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