The medical industry has said it will be implementing technology to allow its goods to be tracked throughout the supply chain as early as next year, it has been reported.
The tracking service comes in the wake of a high number of counterfeit drugs being found in the industry, and the service is aimed at ensuring goods can be accurately traced at every stage between manufacture and delivery.
In order to track each of the goods, every item produced will be tagged with a unique code, and pharmacists and doctors - as well as every partner in the supply chain between - will be able to check the authenticity of the product using an optical reader.
The test - which could have positive consequences for all supply chains in the future - is being headed by the Sanofi-Aventis chairman Jean-Francois Dehecq.
"Counterfeits are now starting to appear in the legitimate supply chain, in pharmacies as well as distributors and wholesalers," Dehecq explained.
If tests in Germany go well next year it can be assumed that similar technology could be implemented in supply chains of many high-importance products.
Businesses may also want to adopt the technology in order to offer peace of mind to consumers paying premiums for quality goods, or for those who are having them home-delivered, and would like to check their progress online.
