Smart Cameras Track And Trace

By John DiPalo, chief technology officer, Acsis

To prevent drug counterfeiting, pharmaceutical oversight agencies are establishing stricter regulations for manufacturers, distributors, and retailers. The secure electronic version of the chain-of-custody for pharmaceuticals, often called ePedigree requirements, is soon expected to impact all pharmaceutical plants around the world.

Beyond compliance to ePedigree regulations, drug manufacturers see improved traceability as a way to minimize production and distribution of unsafe or poor quality products and reduce the potential for recalls.

In response to these needs, Acsis has developed a serialized packaging data management (SPDM) system that uses smart cameras to validate the presence, accuracy, and readability of pharmaceutical labels and ensure the integrity of packaged product. Comprised of six stages that can be implemented in total or independently of each other, the system allows pharmaceutical bottles to be identified and verified, and provides label printing, verification, bottle and label cross-referencing, and bundle, case, and pallet aggregation.