This week's announcement by the FDA regarding the serious and escalating problem of counterfeit pharmaceuticals comes as no surprise to Information Mediary Corporation (IMC). During the past 18 months IMC engineers, along with development partner Shorewood Packaging have developed an RFID-based smart drug packaging solution, the Med-ic ECM (Electronic Content Monitor). Although the Med-ic ECM was developed primarily to monitor patient compliance with prescriptions, IMC predicted in early 2002 that their technology would have secondary applications for combating counterfeit activities and tracking of controlled substances.

Says Michael Petersen, Co-Founder and C.O.O. of IMC, "Each Med-ic ECM package is factory-programmed with one of billions of unique identification numbers. This built-in function readily authenticates prescribed medication and tracks packages throughout the supply chain".

It appears that IMC's excitement about the future of the Med-ic ECM solution is well justified. Having just completed formal validation of this technology, the company and its supply partners are now on the verge of several multi-million dollar implementations of clinical trial and drug packaging applications. "We fully expect the FDA to make similar announcements about the need to monitor patient compliance with certain prescriptions, especially during clinical trials, given their apparent determination to seriously address the problem of counterfeit drugs" comments Petersen.

Prof. Allan Wilson, co-founder and President of IMC states, "Medication is maximally effective only if the patient adheres to the prescribed dosing regimen. Verification of compliance is generally left to the patient's self- report, a method known to be extremely inaccurate. This procedure does not do justice to the millions of dollars and years of testing required to bring a new formula to market. When you add to this the increasing problem of counterfeit drugs and possible package tampering, the situation is, to say the least, unacceptable".

"Clearly, the goal should be for all prescribed medication to be packaged in containers having the ability to capture compliance data for later retrieval and analysis. A by-product of this process can now be encrypted certification of the medication's authenticity and detection of tampering."

The FDA DMF-listed Med-ic RFID medicine tracking solution provides this function at an affordable cost and is commercially available now. Along with IMC's CertiScan Digital RFID reader and software, it provides a complete solution to tamper proofing, product tracking and medication compliance monitoring. IMC's CertiScan will also read all standard AutoID format 13.56 Mhz RFID tags from suppliers such as Phillips or Microchip.

Information Mediary Corporation (IMC) is dedicated to advancing convergence of developments in the fields of medicine, logistics, high-technology, pharmacology, wireless, e-business and anthroponomy. By forming an understanding of important issues from within these diverse fields, IMC is able to develop novel ideas into products, services, devices, and strategies to improve the health, safety, and convenience of people everywhere.

Med-ic ECM is available worldwide through Intelligent Devices (IDI), a wholly owned subsidiary of IMC.

Shorewood Packaging (now a division of International Paper) is a leading value-added provider of high quality printing and paperboard packaging for the home entertainment (music, home video and multimedia), cosmetics, health and beauty aids, candy and confectionery, pharmaceutical, sporting goods, tobacco and general consumer markets in North America, the U.K. and China.