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RATS BD
Healthcare & Pharma · Module 02

Drug Authentication

Serialised packs verified at receiving and at dispense, with chain of custody in between.

Scope a pilot All healthcare modules
Overview

The problem it solves

A counterfeit pack does not look like a counterfeit pack. That is the entire business model — it looks exactly like the real one, right up until somebody takes it.

Visual inspection cannot solve this and neither can a batch number, because both are trivially copied. What cannot be copied cheaply is a serialised identity that a central registry either recognises or does not, combined with a custody record showing the pack moved through legitimate hands.

The practical route in this market is closed-loop: start with selected distributors and a retail chain that already trust each other, serialise between them, and verify at every handoff. That proves the mechanics without depending on nationwide adoption. Consumer NFC verification — a patient tapping a phone to a pack — becomes possible once the registry exists, but it is the second phase, not the first.

Drug Authentication in use at a site in Bangladesh
How it runs

The workflow

Four steps, in this order. A step out of sequence is a broken process, not a variation.

  1. 01

    Commission

    Each saleable unit or secondary pack gets a serialised tag at the manufacturer or the distribution node.

  2. 02

    Track handoffs

    Warehouse and pharmacy portals log every custody transfer, building an unbroken chain from origin to counter.

  3. 03

    Verify at dispense

    The pharmacy counter reader checks the serial against the registry and its custody history before handover.

  4. 04

    Flag and recall

    Anomalies — unknown serials, duplicates, custody gaps — raise immediately, and recall scoping runs off the same registry.

Architecture

What it is
made of

Four layers, in the order data moves: a tag is read, the read becomes an event, a rule decides what it means, and a business system acts on it.

  1. 01

    Tags

    What carries the identity

    • Serialised UHF for supply-chain packs
    • HF/NFC for consumer verification
    • Tamper-evident labels on high-risk SKUs
  2. 02

    Readers & edge

    What turns presence into an event

    • Warehouse and distribution portals
    • Pharmacy counter readers
    • Handhelds for spot checks and audits
  3. 03

    Platform

    What decides what the event means

    • Serialisation registry
    • Chain-of-custody ledger
    • Anomaly detection on duplicates and gaps
    • Recall scoping and reporting
  4. 04

    Integrations

    What acts on the decision

    • Distributor systems
    • POS
    • HIS
Components

What we supply

  • 01

    Serialised pack tag

    One unique identity per pack, registered centrally. The security is not in the tag being unclonable — it is in the registry knowing that this serial was already dispensed in Sylhet last Tuesday.

    • Serialised UHF, SGTIN-96
    • Applied at manufacture or distribution
    • Registry-backed verification
    • Duplicate detection across the network
  • 02

    Tamper-evident label

    For high-risk SKUs where the pack itself is the target. Opening destroys the label visibly, so refilled packaging cannot present as sealed.

    • Destructive-face construction
    • Void pattern on removal
    • Combined RFID and visual evidence
    • Applied to high-risk categories only
  • 03

    Pharmacy counter reader

    The last check before the medicine reaches a person. Fast enough not to slow the counter, definitive enough to stop a dispense.

    • Counter-top, near-field
    • Sub-second registry lookup
    • Clear pass / fail / hold indication
    • Works offline with cached registry
Outcomes

What to expect

Ranges, not single flattering figures. Baselines are captured for four to eight weeks before a pilot starts, so the delta is measured rather than claimed.

Authentication pass
>99% at dispense
Counterfeit detection
At the counter
Custody gaps
Flagged in transit
Recall scoping
Registry query
Before you commit

What to plan for

Every module has a failure mode. These are the ones that actually bite on this one, and what we do about them — because finding out later costs more than knowing now.

Serialisation adds real operational overhead at the point of commissioning, and regulatory expectations are still moving.
Closed-loop start with selected distributors and outlets rather than a market-wide programme, proactive engagement with DGDA-aligned guidance, and tamper-evident labelling focused on the SKUs that actually attract counterfeiting.
Connects to

Your existing systems

  • Distributor systems
  • POS
  • HIS

Where it earns its keep

  • Pharmacy chains exposed to counterfeit risk
  • Distributors wanting provable chain of custody
  • Manufacturers preparing for serialisation expectations
Scope a pilot
Questions

Before you
buy

The things operations directors actually ask on the first call.

Do we need the whole supply chain on board?

No, and waiting for that is why these programmes never start. A closed loop between one distributor and one retail chain proves the mechanics and delivers real protection across that lane. It extends from there.

Can patients verify a pack themselves?

That is the phase-two capability — an NFC tag a phone can read against the registry. It depends on the registry existing first, which is what the closed-loop phase builds.

What if the pharmacy's internet is down?

The counter reader works against a cached registry and reconciles when the link returns. A dispense is never blocked by connectivity alone; genuine anomalies are held, and the cache staleness is visible to the pharmacist.

Same platform

The rest of healthcare

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