Preventing Rx theft with RFID

“In an effort to prevent counterfeiting, Pfizer said it has started to ship Viagra bottles in the U.S. that feature radio chips under the labels. Pharmacists with the proper equipment can read the chip and check the electronic product code stored on it in order to ensure that the product is genuine.”

This is not the first time a pharmaceutical company has used RFID chips to help prevent the theft of pills throughout the distribution cycle. Purdue Pharma LP began attaching RFID chips to bottles of the painkiller OxyContin in 2004, equipping law enforcement officials with RFID readers so they could help track stolen bottles of the drug.