Radio frequency identification technology; A method of analysis of falsified pharmaceutical products: Literature review

Abstract

Quality has been a concern of the World Health Organization since its inception and is defined as fitness for use. Since our ancestors began trading several millennia ago, Falsified Pharmaceutical Products has been a recurring problem and still threatens economic stability and public health. Its definition various from country to country and according to World Health Organization, 2017, it is ‘a product that is deliberately and fraudulently mislabelled with respect to identity and/or source’. The implementation of anti-falsified nanomaterial technologies is the prominent preventive measure to track and/or detect Falsified Pharmaceutical Products. Software and hardware companies had made encouraging progress towards implementing Radio Frequency Identification devices for ensuring the authenticity of pharmaceutical products. The purpose of the review was to critically appraise Radio Frequency Identification devices technology for the purpose of track and trace Falsified Pharmaceutical Products circulating in the market. Different search engines such as Google Scholar, Science Direct and PubMed were applied and mesh terms and keywords were searched. Different guides and related books were investigated in addition to the articles. Radio Frequency Identification devices technology is a compact electronic device that contains a small chip and reader with antenna that enables wireless transmission of identity of pharmaceutical products. The authenticated Radio Frequency Identification devices model is used for pharmaceutical products’ authentication from origin of pharmaceutical industry to the pharmacy at any point along the chain of the distribution. Popular pharmaceutical products, such as OxyContin and Sildenafil Citrate, which are particular targets of falsification have mandated the use of Radio Frequency Identification devices technology.