GlaxoSmithKline has added RFID tags to Trizivir to prevent counterfeiting.
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As California's e-pedigree requirements draw ever nearer, drug companies are scrambling to figure out how to meet the requirements.
Backers have long touted the advantages of radio frequency identification technology. In one typical report, Micoh, a company
that secures RFID tags, reported that 95% of respondents to a survey it conducted identified RFID as the ideal solution to
protect pharmaceutical integrity. Still, according to a report from TheTimes of London, GlaxoSmithKline, which had been one of the leading proponents of RFID, is reconsidering its plans to expand the use of RFID
tags to combat counterfeiting. "The question is whether it is a valid technology," a GSK spokesman told the Times. "Is it a technology that could be applied to a significant part of the business?" Another spokesman later said that the
company was still testing RFID and had not given up on the technology. GSK has begun to include RFID tags for Trizivir (abacavir/lamivudine/zidovudine),
an HIV drug.
With or without RFID, e-pedigree initiatives still appear to be moving forward. Blu Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer recently adopted
SupplyScape's E-Pedigree data management solution, and IBM has introduced its own data management tool. Pfizer reported to
the California Board of Pharmacy in June that it had 75 employees and additional outside consultants devoted to its serialization
effort, which it termed "complex and costly." How much of a role RFID will play remains to be seen.
Speaking of e-prescribing
One new technology promises to encourage doctors to begin e-prescribing by not changing at all. A pharmacy in New Jersey is
testing SpeechRx, a new e-prescription system from TeleManager that allows doctors to continue to call in their prescriptions
as they always have. However, instead of leaving a message that pharmacists or techs have to enter into the computer, SpeechRx
does it automatically. The system prompts prescribers to provide the prescription information and translates the message into
an electronic prescription, eliminating the need for someone to listen to a message and transcribe. The system can also send
an e-mail confirmation to the prescribing doctor to ensure accuracy. To find out more about SpeechRx, contact TeleManager
at http://www.telemanager.com/.
In other related news, Alaska has finally cleared the way to accept e-prescriptions, following on the heels of Georgia, South
Carolina, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. Now pharmacies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia can accept e-prescriptions.
"This is a significant milestone as momentum continues to grow nationwide for electronic prescribing," said Bruce Roberts,
R.Ph., National Community Pharmacists Association CEO.
A bigger tool belt
Pharmacists delivering medication therapy management through the Community Care Rx program will have a few more tools in their
belt. Mirixa recently announced the release of a new version of its MirixaPro product suite with new clinical care management
tools for pharmacy-based delivery of patient care services. Now qualifying patient cases are delivered directly and securely
to the pharmacist. MirixaPro's workflow system can now support delivery of multiple interventions through its Web portal.
For more information, visit http://www.mirixa.com/.
Increasing access to smart solutions
Sometimes it's not enough to build a better mousetrap; after all you have to market it too. Recently, a number of companies
have taken new steps to increase the market awareness of pharmacy technologies. InforMedix, for example, recently began to
offer its Med-eMonitor smart pillbox on-line to consumers at its Web site. The unit monitors medication use and reports missed
medication dosages or declining health to caregivers in an effort to improve adherence. Similarly, Automated Medical Systems
announced that it had licensed a computerized unit-dose medication dispensing cart from inventor Todd Barrett. The cart is
designed to help nurses dispense prepackaged unit-dose medications and to store medical information about patients. The cart
also can detect and record when medications are taken.
Drug Topics archives are now available on ModernMedicine.com, a new online resource designed to meet the evolving needs of physicians.