RFID inlay has smallest form factor for pharma applications says maker | 02-09-2021 |

Tageos, an AIPIA member supplying RFID inlays and tags, has launched the EOS-202 U9 RAIN RFID inlay, which it claims has the smallest form factor available today for healthcare and pharmaceutical applications The new inlay has successfully passed tests specified by the Auburn University RFID Lab Spec S and is certified by DoseID for a broad range of pharmaceutical and healthcare purposes.

DoseID is an industry consortium for the use of RFID technology in the healthcare and pharmaceutical space and certifies RFID inlays for tracking of pharmaceuticals. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for high-performance, resilient healthcare solutions worldwide. RFID technology contributes strongly to that by seamlessly tracking and tracing pharmaceutical items on a unit-of-use basis. 

The French-headquartered company says it is fundamentally upgrading its inlay range with a product of unique capabilities. The new UHF product features a sophisticated, very-small-footprint antenna design measuring just 20x10 mm (wet inlay finished size 22x12 mm) alongside NXP’s state-of-the-art UCODE9 IC. The IC complies with the EPC Class 1 Gen 2 protocol and the ISO 18000-6c standard for global use, and features auto-adjust technology, unique brand identifiers and pre-serialized 96-bit EPC memory.

The chip and the antenna design are tailored to make EOS-202 U9 the market’s smallest RAIN RFID inlay currently available, which exhibits strong performance across all types of items currently tested, according to ARC Spec S for healthcare and pharmaceutical applications, says Tageos.

Its sensitivity and reliability, even in dense RFID tag populations, make the inlay viable for use across the latest portfolio of tested items outlined by ARC Spec S, including clear and amber liquid glass vials, clear glass powder vials, plastic/COC syringes, plastic syringe caps and plastic blow-fill-seal vials. It comes without any size disadvantage compared to other existing certified inlays, it is claimed. The new inlay is available in dry, wet, and paper-face formats in large quantities, immediately.

“With its unique combination of the smallest size and optimum read characteristics in challenging environments, the new inlay provides the healthcare and pharmaceutical sector with the ultimate ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution”, said Chris Reese, head of product management at Tageos. 

Kevin MacDonald, co-founder and CEO of Kit Check, a founding member of DoseID  and provider of automated medication tracking and diversion detection solutions for hospital pharmacies in the USA, commented “It looks like the EOS-202 U9 delivers on its ‘one-size-fits-all’ promise – and that is good news for us and for all of our customers.”