Pharmaceutical companies can now sell their drugs with radio labels, hence  making them counterfeit-proof. Together with the packaging manufacturer Limmatdruck/Zeiler, Siemens is offering a solution that involves sticking an RFID chip (Radio Frequency Identification) either to the outer packaging or the individual product. The solution covers consulting, IT integration, RFID read devices and packaging with RFID chips. Every tenth drug is counterfeited and each year drugs worth around US$40bn US go missing. Pharmaceutical manufacturers can now respond by using contactless radio labels. This offers a variety of benefits: high  level of protection against conterfeiting, transparent logistics processes  and position determination, automatic inventory management, proof of  uninterrupted cool chains, efficient production planning and improved returns management. Together with the Swiss packaging expert Limmatdruck/Zeiler, the sole supplier for Roche, Siemens is now offering a comprehensive RFID solution  for the pharmaceutical industry. The chips are attached either to the outer packaging or the packaging for individual products, ampules or syringes ­ depending on the value of the drugs. Siemens Business Services is providing the feasibility and profitability analysis, process consulting and IT  integration, Siemens Automation and Drives is contributing the chips and  matching high-frequency (13.56 MHz) read/write devices, and  Limmatdruck/Zeiler the packaging and packaging machines.
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