Pilot Project to Test Electronic Pedigrees on Purdue's OxyContin

Two technology vendors have launched a pilot project they hope will yield a national standard for electronic drug pedigrees.

The pilot project, led by Unisys and SupplyScape, will track the distribution of Purdue's OxyContin (oxycodone HCl) from the manufacturer to H.D. Smith, a U.S. wholesaler. The pilot could ultimately lead to a national standard tracking system for drug products, Unisys and SupplyScape said.

Unisys, based in Blue Bell, Pa., is hosting the pilot on its ES7000, an enterprise-class platform that will capture the data generated by the radio-frequency identification (RFID) system used to track OxyContin. The pilot uses SupplyScape's E-Pedigree, an open universal system that complies with the Florida electronic pedigree mandate that takes effect in July 2006, said SupplyScape of Cambridge, Mass.

The open pedigree management system is designed to certify the authenticity of medicines throughout the supply chain, in part by identifying where a drug has been along the route from manufacturer to distributor, the companies said. Purdue and H.D. Smith can authenticate, certify and verify a positive match between each product container and its corresponding pedigree via RFID or bar codes, the technology suppliers said.