We recently caught up with RAIN Alliance member Pfizer to learn more about SmartDose™ and how collaboration across the ecosystem can help advance RAIN RFID adoption in healthcare.
Tell us about how Pfizer uses RAIN technology within the business.
At Pfizer, we view RAIN RFID as a practical tool to support visibility and accuracy across the healthcare supply chain. In a highly regulated environment where products move through complex workflows, reliable and interoperable data is essential.
One example of how we apply this approach is SmartDose™, Pfizer’s portfolio of medications with RAIN RFID embedded directly onto the product label during manufacturing. Because RAIN RFID is incorporated at the source, SmartDose arrives ready to scan, reducing the need for healthcare providers to manually tag products or associate tags after receipt, which are steps often required when RAIN RFID is applied downstream.
Each label is designed in alignment with GS1 standards and for compatibility with RAIN RFID technology, enabling consistent capture of key product information within RAIN-enabled systems.
More broadly, Pfizer sees RAIN RFID as an enabler of more connected and efficient medication management. Solutions such as SmartDose can support inventory visibility, assist with identification of expired or recalled products, and enable a more streamlined flow of information from manufacturing to patient care. In busy hospital environments—where medications are often small in size and handled in high volumes—this level of visibility and accuracy is particularly important.
Why did Pfizer choose to join the RAIN Alliance?
Pfizer joined the RAIN Alliance because we believe meaningful progress is driven by collaboration across the ecosystem. The Alliance brings together organizations spanning technology, manufacturing, and healthcare that are focused on accelerating the adoption of RAIN RFID—an approach that closely aligns with how we think about innovation.
For Pfizer, advancing RAIN RFID adoption requires pairing innovation with scalable, standards-based implementation. SmartDose reflects this approach: it is built on GS1-aligned data structures, designed for compatibility with RAIN RFID systems, and supported by rigorous performance testing. Participation in the RAIN Alliance allows Pfizer to collaborate with other leaders working to strengthen RAIN RFID performance, interoperability, and confidence in real-world use.
The Alliance also provides an important forum to ensure that practical healthcare considerations—such as reliable performance on small vials, liquid products, and in high-throughput environments—are well represented as RAIN technology continues to evolve. Through this collaboration, Pfizer aims to help inform best practices and support broader adoption of RAIN RFID in demanding healthcare settings.
Why did Pfizer choose to embed RAIN RFID technology directly onto medication labels?
SmartDose was designed to be RFID-ready at the point of manufacture to help simplify adoption for healthcare providers. By embedding RAIN RFID directly into the medication label, products arrive pre-tagged and pre-associated, eliminating the need for manual tagging or product-to-tag matching in pharmacy workflows.
This approach helps support more consistent data capture, simplifies day-to-day operations, and reduces additional handling steps that may introduce variability. More importantly, embedding RAIN RFID at the source helps lower barriers to adoption and supports more reliable scaling in complex, real-world environments.
Built on GS1 standards and designed for compatibility with RAIN RFID technology, SmartDose is intended to integrate seamlessly into RAIN-enabled platforms as adoption continues to grow across healthcare. To learn more about SmartDose, visit PfizerHospitalUS.com/rfid.
What’s next for Pfizer and its use of RAIN technology?
Looking ahead, Pfizer views RAIN as a long-term capability rather than a one-time initiative. SmartDose provides a strong foundation, and we plan to continue building on it as part of broader efforts focused on medication traceability, operational efficiency, and patient care.
Pfizer remains committed to ongoing collaboration with the RAIN Alliance and its members. By combining manufacturing at scale, standards-based design aligned to GS1, and cross-industry partnership, we aim to help accelerate adoption of RAIN as a trusted, enterprise-ready technology.
Through continued collaboration, Pfizer is working alongside industry partners to support broader adoption of standards-based RAIN RFID technology.