BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, and ten23 health, the human-centric and sustainable strategic CDMO partner of choice for the pharmaceutical industry and biotech start-ups,  announced a collaboration to develop a new way to track prefillable syringes (PFS) using RFID technology.

The collaboration aims to pilot an RFID-based solution created by BD to improve manufacturing process efficiency, and provide traceability of individual units. This solution will benefit ten23 health and its customers by ensuring a higher traceability throughout both the manufacturing process and the supply chain. The new traceability solution, branded BD iDFill™ Individual Prefillable Syringe Identification*, involves equipping each PFS with an RFID tag encoded with a unique serial number called the Container Unique Identifier (CUID). This CUID can be scanned at various stages of the manufacturing process, from filling to secondary packaging or any further assembly. By linking the drug code, filling batch, timestamps, and other relevant data with the CUID, the solution provides full container traceability and enables multiple applications, including automated reconciliation, mix-up prevention, and investigation management. This system also helps to quickly identify and trace individual units during production and beyond.

By focusing on individual units instead of batches, BD iDFill™ offers greater process visibility and efficiency. Furthermore, positioning the primary container as a bridge between separate process unit operations – such as filling and inspection - enables ten23 health to leverage the significant potential of existing process data and opens up new possibilities for advanced manufacturing applications both on-site and beyond. 

“BD iDFill™ aims to transform the way we approach quality and efficiency in the fill & finish process by extending the role of the PFS from a drug container to a digital enabler,” said Patrick Jeukenne, president of BD Medical - Pharmaceutical Systems. “We expect this innovation will harness the vast potential of data in manufacturing and bring a new level of transparency to the pharmaceutical fill & finish process.”

“We are excited about this collaboration with BD, as it aligns perfectly with our commitment to innovation and quality,” said Hanns-Christian Mahler, CEO of ten23 health.  

“This new RFID-based traceability solution has the potential to further enhance our manufacturing processes and also provides significant benefits to our pharmaceutical customers by ensuring greater transparency and reducing risks,” added Andrea Allmendinger, CSO of ten23 health.