Abstract: An authentication system for authenticating products at point-of-release, the system including housing the products in respective containers having respective unique product identifiers, e.g., numbers or codes, storing in an authentication database data relating to the product identifiers, reading at a trusted location terminal the data from one of the product identifiers, communicating at least some of the data read from the product identifier to the authentication database and comparing data of the product identifier with data of the authentication database so as to authenticate the corresponding product.