ARMONK, N.Y. and CAMARILLO, Calif., April 15 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE:
IBM) and California contract manufacturer Golden State Medical Supply
(GSMS) today announced GSMS will be ready to comply with California's
landmark prescription drug pedigree regulations this year. GSMS is using
IBM technology to manage serialized drug pedigree information and offer new
services to their customers.
The California Board of Pharmacy recently gave the pharmaceutical
industry a two-year extension to January 1, 2011 to comply with its
regulations, which are the first of their kind. The GSMS-IBM collaboration
will be ready to begin this summer, well in advance of the state's original
effective date.
The issue of the safety of the world's prescription drug supply is
continuing to gain attention. The Center for Medicines in the Public
Interest projects that global revenues lost due to counterfeit drug sales
will reach $75 billion by 2010, a 92 percent increase from 2005.
"We applaud the efforts of any company that continues to work toward
meeting the original 2009 deadline for compliance with California's
electronic pedigree system," said Virginia Herold, executive director of
the California State Board of Pharmacy. "We believe the California law for
electronic pedigree is the most effective means to add security to the
pharmaceutical supply chain."
In addition to enabling GSMS to act in accordance with new and emerging
ePedigree regulations, IBM's Solution for Pharmaceutical Track & Trace will
give GSMS the technology infrastructure to offer new services for the
pharmaceutical industry. For example, the company could provide ePedigree
compliance services to manufacturers that have not yet determined how they
will comply with the California regulations.
"We chose to team with IBM because GSMS is committed to protecting the
pharmaceutical drug supply. The issue of counterfeit drug sales is an
important one for our industry and our work with IBM reflects our desire to
be part of the solution," said Jim Stroud, president and CEO, GSMS Medical
Supply Inc.
"Golden State Medical Supply's selection of IBM for this project shows
that our Pharmaceutical Track & Trace Solution is as viable for small and
mid-sized operations as it is for the titans of the pharmaceutical
industry," said Christian Clauss, director of sensor network solutions,
IBM.
IBM is providing GSMS software, hardware, and services. The ePedigree
capability will be provided by the IBM WebSphere RFID Information Center, a
high performance data repository that allows companies to manage and share
information with trading partners to authenticate pharmaceuticals. The
product is compliant with both GS1 EPCglobal's Electronic Product Code
Information Services (EPCIS) standard, and its Drug Pedigree Standard. In
addition to using the software for ePedigrees, GSMS will be able to use it
to address business needs such as chargeback resolution and expiration
management.
Serialized drug pedigree information will be provided to the WebSphere
RFID Information Center by the IBM WebSphere Premises Server. The Premises
Server will enhance key business processes in GSMS' packaging facility and
distribution center using 2D barcodes, RFID and other types of sensors.
The software will be run on IBM System x servers, which will be
provided by IBM Business Partner Direct Systems Support.
About Golden State Medical Supply, Inc.
In business since 1986, Golden State Medical Supply, Inc. is a contract
manufacturer licensed by the California State Board of Pharmacy to sell
pharmaceuticals to our valued partners in the medical industry. For more
information, visit http://www.gsms.us
About IBM
For more information on IBM's Solution for Pharmaceutical Track &
Trace, visit http://www-
03.ibm.com/solutions/businesssolutions/sensors/doc/content/solution/1624269
129 .html
SOURCE Golden State Medical Supply, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.gsms.us
CONTACT:
Ed Coghlan, +1-818-893-7453, for Golden State
Medical Supply, Inc.
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