By David C. Wyld, Contributing Editor, AVISIAN Publications

Robert Malone, Editor of Inbound Logistics magazine, recently commented that, “it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to discover that pharmaceuticals are a prime candidate for the use of RFID in our new era of high security.”

In recent months, there have been significant developments in the pharmaceutical marketspace, as both Pfizer and Purdue Pharma have announced significant RFID-labeling programs for two of their most sought after – both legally and illegally – drug products. Pfizer has announced that by the end of the first quarter of 2006, all shipments of Viagra, the lifestyle drug for erectile dysfunction, will carry RFID tags. Likewise, the privately-held Purdue Pharma has green-lighted a significant pilot program to apply smart labels to all shipments of OxyContin, a narcotic pain-killer.