Sandoz launches its first RFID-tagged critical injectable medicines

Sandoz Inc.’s first two injectable medicines featuring Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags will become available to U.S. hospitals beginning this month through a collaborative effort with automated medication management company Kit Check, Inc.

The medicines include Anectine 200 mg/10mL and Rocuronium 50mg/5mL and 10mg/5mL (paralytics to relax muscles during surgery or other medical procedures). The companies announced that additional Sandoz medicines are expected to be made available to Kit Check's hospital partners through early 2021.

"Several products included in our collaboration with Kit Check are important hospital medicines that physicians rely on for immediate treatment of critically ill patients," Carol Lynch, Sandoz president, said in a statement. "This aligns with our strategy to supplement our ongoing work through disruptive channels to ensure a reliable supply of high-quality injectable medicines makes it to hospital patients who need them."

The move is intended to help hospital pharmacies reduce risk and better support patient treatment in hospitals by providing real-time inventory reports, timely tracking of expiration of products and recalls, and aid in automatic replenishment of supplies long-term, according to the companies.

Kit Check supplies RFID-based medication inventory tracking and automated tray processing at more than 500 hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. The tags are applied to vials, syringes, bags and other medication packages and supplies in trays and kits, and used to track each medication that passes through hospital pharmacies.

Both Sandoz and Kit Check are members of the newly formed industry consortium DoseID, launched in August 2020 to ensure standardization and interoperability of RFID in the pharmaceutical supply chain.