A new report from AT Kearney cited five major myths about RFID in the pharmaceutical industry. For example, one myth is that because RFID is a technology, it belongs in the hands of the IT department. As the report points out, "True, RFID is a technology. And of the estimated $1.8 billion the top 20 U.S. drugstores spent on IT last year, a significant portion went into RFID technology. But to treat it as anything other than a strategic business tool risks squandering its real potential. With RFID, the pharmaceutical industry can improve the integrity of its supply chain."

Another major misconception is that pharmaceutical companies will be able to "watch Wal-Mart and learn" about RFID for the pharmaceutical industry. "The storyline for pharmaceutical companies is fundamentally different. For one thing, pharmaceutical products have a higher average value than consumer products. The result is that tag costs will run about 7% of the average consumer goods product, but less than 1% of an average pharmaceutical product."