Fresenius Kabi Introduces RFID Smart Labels for a Range of Essential Medications

Fresenius Kabi announced today it is introducing smart labels for a range of essential medications used in hospitals. The new labels, which feature embedded radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, will be introduced this year for medications commonly used in the operating room, with the first product launching in September.

Fresenius Kabi is a leading producer of generic injectable and infused medications offered in vials, bags and prefilled syringes. Fresenius Kabi prefilled syringes and vials will be the first presentations featured as part of the new +RFID™ portfolio from the company.

“The introduction of Fresenius Kabi smart labels using RFID-enabled technology is an important addition to our pharmaceutical portfolio,” said John Ducker, president and CEO of Fresenius Kabi USA. “Inventory management is a high priority for hospitals, especially in the current environment. This combination of smart technology with the comprehensive range of our anesthesia and analgesia portfolio is designed to answer our customers’ call to make it easier to assure that the right products are in the right places at the right time.”

Fresenius Kabi +RFID ™ medicines will feature a high-performance RFID tag embedded in the label that contains the relevant data that hospitals rely on every day to immediately identify, locate and manage their inventory. All necessary product information is accessible from the tag, which enables an interoperable environment without the need for complicated data-sharing interfaces. The technology also enables item-level serialization of each Fresenius Kabi +RFID product.

Fresenius Kabi will adhere to GS1 global standards for RFID ( www.gs1.org/standards/epc-rfid ), which are used around the world to support pharmaceutical product identification, supply chain efficiency and improved data accuracy. Fresenius Kabi will be the first pharmaceutical company to embed medication identification data into the RFID tag following GS1 open, technology independent, global standards that permit full interoperability and compatibility.

IntelliGuard, a health care technology company that designs, manufactures and implements intelligent health care supply chain management solutions powered by RFID, will be one of the first pharmacy automation vendors to read and utilize Fresenius Kabi-manufactured RFID-labeled medications.

“Fresenius Kabi’s commitment couldn’t come at a more important time, as hospitals are faced with significant medication supply chain challenges,” said Gordon Krass, CEO of IntelliGuard. “Our customers will now be able to get RFID smart-labeled medications directly from a manufacturer. It’s a great example of leadership from industry and a win for both patients and health care providers. Fresenius Kabi's technology solution further revolutionizes health care, protects patient safety and will undoubtedly bring a new level of track, trace and inventory visibility throughout hospital supply chains.’