| A growing number of U.S. states are formalizing | | | | the authentication is actually done off-network," |
| electronic pedigree requirements in order to | | | | says Ahlund. |
| comply with the FDA's anti-counterfeiting | | | | "We're using multiple layers of protection," says |
| initiatives. | | | | Graham Gillen, senior product manager for |
| A new two-phase RFID authentication platform | | | | VeriSign. "Ultimately, it's about making the tag, and |
| introduced by Texas Instruments (TI) and | | | | hence the product, hard to fake or reproduce." |
| VeriSign should make it easier for pharmaceutical | | | | The platform is non-proprietary and can be |
| manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and | | | | implemented by any RFID system and PKI |
| pharmacies to meet the FDA drug pedigree | | | | provider. That can save drug manufacturers and |
| requirements. It may also make it easier for | | | | suppliers the considerable infrastructure costs |
| consumers to accept RFID technology in their | | | | associated with deploying most RFID systems. |
| prescription packaging. | | | | The additional security may relieve some |
| Mikael Ahlund, director of RFID healthcare for TI, | | | | consumers' fears that their personal and private |
| says that the platform is unique in providing two | | | | information may be intercepted by electronic |
| layers of protection against counterfeiting. The | | | | hackers. |
| model enhances system security by digitally | | | | The idea of using RFID in the prescription drug |
| certifying the authenticity of 13.56 MHz RFID tags | | | | pipeline has had consumers and pharmaceutical |
| via a cryptographic Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) | | | | manufacturers/suppliers hotly at odds. The TI |
| available through VeriSign. "The beauty of this | | | | Verisign model suggests that when used with |
| approach is that because the elements for the | | | | care, RFID may indeed be protective without |
| private key are preprogrammed into the tag and | | | | being invasive. |
| the reader is preprogrammed for the public key, | | | | |