Pharmaceutical tracking system
First Claim
1. A pharmaceutical product distribution system, comprising:
- an activation computer configured to store authentication codes in a database and associate said authentication codes with pharmaceutical packages, wherein said activation computer is further configured to activate said authentication codes for pharmaceutical packages that are being sent to destination sites; and
an authentication computer configured to receive authentication codes that are read from pharmaceutical packages received at said destination sites and determine whether said authentication codes have been activated.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A pharmaceutical tracking system and method comprises a system server/database and a plurality of authentication code readers at a manufacturer and destination, where the system server/database allocates a number of unique authentication codes to a manufacturer. An authentication code is applied to any level of product packaging and read by a code reader at the manufacturer for activation. The authentication codes and activation request are communicated to the server/database for activation, and the codes are indicated in the server/database as active. Upon receipt of the product at the destination, only the authentication code which was activated by the manufacturer and indicated as such in the system server/database will verify that the product received is the one shipped from the manufacturer. Code readers can be used at intermediate destinations in a distribution chain to verify the authenticity of the product received and to track the location of the product along the distribution chain.
190 Citations
32 Claims
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1. A pharmaceutical product distribution system, comprising:
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an activation computer configured to store authentication codes in a database and associate said authentication codes with pharmaceutical packages, wherein said activation computer is further configured to activate said authentication codes for pharmaceutical packages that are being sent to destination sites; and
an authentication computer configured to receive authentication codes that are read from pharmaceutical packages received at said destination sites and determine whether said authentication codes have been activated. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A computerized method of tracking and authenticating pharmaceutical products from an origin location to a destination site, comprising:
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correlating a unique authentication code with a pharmaceutical product package and additional product distribution information;
storing said authentication code and additional product distribution information to a database;
activating said unique authentication code to indicate that said pharmaceutical package is being sent to a destination site;
reading the unique authentication code at said destination site;
verifying the read authentication code and additional product distribution information with said database;
notifying said system server whether said verification was successful; and
expiring said activated authentication code in response to a successful verification of said authentication code. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A pharmaceutical product distribution system, comprising:
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a system server including a first authentication module;
a first code reader configured to read authentication codes from product packaging; and
an activation module configured to receive an authentication code read by said first code reader from product packaging prior to distribution, and to transmit an activation request to the system server, wherein said activation request comprises the authentication code read by said first code reader, and wherein the system server stores the authentication code as an active authentication code in response to the activation request. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method of tracking and authenticating pharmaceutical products from an origin location to a final destination, comprising:
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applying an authentication code to product packaging;
reading the authentication code from the product packaging at the origin location prior to distribution;
sending an activation request to a system server, wherein said activation request includes the read authentication code; and
activating the read authentication code in response to the activation request, comprising storing the read authentication code as an active authentication code at the system server. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A method of tracking and authenticating pharmaceutical products from an origin location to a final destination, comprising:
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reading an authentication code from a product packaging at said origin location prior to distribution;
sending an activation request, said read authentication code, and product destination information to a system server;
activating said read authentication code in response to said activation request, comprising storing said read authentication code as an active authentication code and said product destination information at said system server;
reading an authentication code from product packaging received at a receiving location;
sending a verification request and said authentication code read at said receiving location to said system server;
verifying said authentication request, comprising comparing said authentication code read from product packaging at said receiving location to active authentication codes stored at the system server;
notifying said receiving location whether said authentication request was verified, comprising indicating whether said authentication code read from product packaging at said receiving location corresponds to said active authentication code; and
expiring said active authentication code by storing said active authentication code at said system server as an expired authentication code. - View Dependent Claims (32)
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Specification