Schreiner MediPharm, a Germany-based global provider of functional label solutions for the healthcare industry, has joined US-based consortium DoseID, the first industry association dedicated to standardizing the use of RFID tags in healthcare.

Comprised of leading healthcare sector players, DoseID was established for the purpose of introducing an industry-wide standard.

RFID technology has been gaining traction in the healthcare sector, but standardized tools for tracking medications, devices and consumables are lacking. To that end, DoseID’s goal is to ensure the interoperability, quality and performance of RFID-tagged drug products as they move through the pharmaceutical supply chain. The drugs are tracked across all hardware and software systems—from the manufacturer, through the distributor, to the hospital and eventually to the patient.

Pharmaceuticals can be successfully tracked by serializing medications, containers and devices. To achieve these goals, though, RFID tags must deliver reliable performance in all hospital and healthcare IT systems so that products can be tracked at unit level and across their entire lifecycle. RFID-Labels from Schreiner MediPharm are important enablers in this context: They allow frictionless integration and smooth processing on unit-level pharmaceutical packaging lines, improving the automation of processes to increase efficiency and, most importantly, enhancing patient and drug safety.

“As a long-term provider of customized RFID labels for the healthcare industry, we see the need for interoperability and quality standards as essential to leveraging the full potential of RFID. We look forward to being part of the DoseID consortium to mutually drive RFID-based smart solutions to enhance the pharmaceutical supply chain,” says Stefan Wiedemann, senior director of strategic marketing and business development at Schreiner MediPharm.

The unit level serialization enabled by DoseID surpasses the requirements of the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA), a standard securing the US supply chain of prescription drugs. To ensure adherence to the standards established by the consortium and conformity with the requirements of pharmaceutical manufacturers, compounding pharmacies, pharmacy automation services providers, and manufacturers of RFID inlays and tags, a special RFID tag certification also is awarded after third party testing.