In efforts to curb counterfeit drug activities, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new feature to be included on the packaging of Viagra. Radio frequency identification or RFID tags will be attached to the drug’s packaging to trace the products from the factory to the pharmacy. It can also be used to test the authenticity of the pills itself.

Viagra was developed as a treatment for men experiencing erectile dysfunction (ED) or impotence. Manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc., the little blue pills are on high demand by counterfeiters worldwide. It will be the one of the first drugs to be included in the FDA initiative.

“The project supports FDA efforts to promote the development of standards and processes in preparation for RFID’s broader use across the pharmaceutical industry.” Pfizer said in a statement.

According to the FDA less than 1 percent of drugs sold in the United States are fake, but overall counterfeit drug cases have grown in the past few years.

In September, Reuters reported half of the Viagra pills sold over the Internet had the possibility of being counterfeit. The pills were labeled and packaged as the original product. It was also reported that scientists were unable to determine whether the ingredients in the fake pills were highly effective or harmful to potential users.

Tom Phillips, Vice President of Pfizer’s US Trade Group said, “To us, this is strictly a patient safety issue. RFID will significantly impact the way we do business and therefore will require changes to our business process.”

In 2003 Viagra sales averaged $1.9 billion. Pfizer has plans to upgrade the package design to decrease counterfeiters chances of making imitation pills. Pfizer also said the cost of the new RFID feature will amount to several million dollars.

So far, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., and Target Corporation stores are currently testing the device to trace various products as well as to determine when restocking is needed through the use of a scanner.