Millipore now offers the RFID technology with an European Union patent to the bio-pharma sector where gamma radiation is required. The company received the patent titled, 'Use of gamma hardened RFID tags in pharmaceutical devices'.

The patent covers systems and methods for using RFID tags in biopharmaceutical environments where gamma radiation is used for sterilization. The memory device within the tag utilizes a technology that is not affected by gamma radiation. RFID tags may be applied to various components during manufacturing or immediately after final assembly and can be subjected to a gamma sterilization without risk of data loss or corruption. The company refers to RFID as 'Smart' technology.

"By expanding our 'Smart' technology platform to be gamma compatible, we enable our customers to quickly access critical information about disposable process components that have been pre-sterilized," said Jean-Paul Mangeolle, president, Bioprocess Division, Millipore Corporation.

The RFID tags has now been utilized in Millipore's Mobius disposable solutions. With the increasing use of disposables, users can configure systems to meet their specific process requirements and eliminate costly cleaning operations. This new patented RFID technology can be reliably used on disposable components in a pharmaceutical and/or biotechnology manufacturing or research process.

The new RFID tags can be affixed to single use filters, bags, tubes, process instruments, and other crucial components, allowing for a secure automated method of transferring unit specific information, without worry that the data may be lost or degraded during the sterilization process.

The company began offering RFID after it entered into an exclusive license with the Netherlands-based Tack Smart Filter Technology (TSFT), BV to embed the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) in its filters and filtration apparatuses for biopharmaceutical applications.

In addition, the company has also inked a pact with Tagsys RFID for tags and reader components. It also collaborated with The Tech Group for injection moulding and fabrication, besides teamed up with Northern Apex-RFID to integrate services and instrument development.

The key benefits of the RFID technology are non-line-of-site, improved readability, non-linear access to information, rewritable and encryptable, difficult to remove and provides greater security, mechanically-thermally stable and gamma irradiatable. In an industry where time-to-market and compliance are crucial, RFID improves the speed and confidence with which critical data is exchanged for these steps, said the Millipore Bioprocess Division chief.

Millipore customers using RFID technology in filtration products have benefited in speedier and reliable retrieving of critical information, including details of year and location of product manufacture. Additionally, when the filters are coupled with sensors, RFID delivers real-time information about product performance and can help identify which fluids are present during the manufacturing process. The information has helped customers to ensure regulatory.

Unlike previous labelling methods such as bar codes, RFID enables customers to automatically document product and process information, eliminates the risk of losing critical information. It provides the ability to rewrite their own information into embedded RFID tags. Company's filtration products that use RFID tags help customers develop and validate process steps.