Chipped Pharmaceuticals from Production to in VIVO (in body) Drug Delivery Becoming Reality

Abstract — Advances in medical technology rely heavily on the collection and analysis of measured data to facilitate patient diagnosis and business decisions.  The healthcare industry, particularly pharmaceuticals and diagnostic processes, has an ongoing need to improve item tracking and data collection to improve the quality of care while reducing cost.  The remote, non-invasive characteristics of RFID can facilitate the information needs of healthcare without imposing additional burden onto the patient or staff.  Properly deployed RFID enabled devices can provide convenient and accurate data for disease diagnosis, evaluation of prescription non-compliance and identification of medication dosage errors. This paper describes an all-encompassing RFID tracking system that begins with compliance documentation from the drug manufacturer through confirmation of patient compliance by capsule extraction from the bottle, into a pill case and ultimately ingested or inserted into the body.  This RFID system can provide data for decision-making and facilitate compliance with FDA proposed e-pedigree requirements.  This transcript provides an introduction to healthcare trends in order to motivate the need for a biocompatible RFID system.  An approach to research as well as an in vitro tabletop test method is presented in light of pending research.  The overall goal of the pending research is to develop biocompatible RFID tag components for use with systems beginning with the manufacturer and continuing through distribution to the point of interest within the patient’s body. Keywords— RFID; e-pedigree; pharmaceuticals; tracking