Date: February 06, 2006

Pfizer's move to employ RFID technology on large containers of its erectile dysfunction drug Viagra has met with great protest and stiff opposition from an organization that stands for consumer privacy. Though the RFID tags would be of great help in combating counterfeiting, it would definitely breach the privacy of many customers.

The RFID tags have electronic signals that can help the company to keep track of Viagra. This can ensure that the drug lands up only in the right hands of licensed pharmacies. Viagra is the most counterfeited drug in the market, which makes the move of Pfizer a prime importance for the safety of the patients. But an organization that keeps track of RFID tags paints an altogether different picture.

The organization Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering or CASPIAN, is headed by two women Katherine Albrecht and Liz McIntyre. They strongly oppose the tagging policy of pfizer as they worry that the company has not taken enough precautions to uphold the privacy of the consumers. This means the RFID tag would be going to American homes, which can cause extreme breach of privacy. The organisation says RFID tag may be fit for the warehouse but not private shelves.

However, Pfizer has made a written statement on its website that it's unlikely for the tagged containers to reach the customers, though the possibility cannot be ruled out. A spokesperson of Pfizer said, Viagra tags allow no tracing of customer information.

Source: publicradio.org/futuretense

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