Phase 2 of the pilot was built on the success of Phase 1, which demonstrated the technical feasibility of applying RFID to various drug formulations and packaging types in a laboratory setting. Phase 2 significantly expanded the scope to test the robustness and interoperability of RFID in operational environments, aligned with GS1 standards and the U.S. FDA’s DSCSA requirements. For the first time, tests were conducted using four full pallets of pharmaceutical products—with varying formulations and packaging sizes—across diverse environments, including the Axia Lab (simulating the manufacturer and pharmacies) and Cencora’s Williamston Distribution Center. A pivotal component of the project was the development of the Axia Observer Platform, an IoT- based software solution designed to track materials across the supply chain using both RFID scans and Electronic Product Code Information Service (EPCIS) supply chain event data.

To conduct a real-world demonstration and develop a cloud-based platform capable of collecting and transferring information captured by RFID readers at different locations to track and trace pharmaceuticals throughout the supply chain.

Phase 2 Participants

The following companies and organizations participated in Phase 2.

Validate RFID Technology to Provide Traceability: ACHIEVED

A total of 6,920 products were successfully tracked, achieving 100% traceability using RFID. Exceptions were automatically identified and corrected in real-time. The pilot demonstrated readiness for DSCSA-aligned digitization of the pharmaceutical supply chain at scale.

Develop Small-scale Data Capturing Platform: ACHIEVED

Axia’s Observer Platform was developed and tested as an outside centralized platform to provide oversight of the supply chain. The Axia Observer Platform provides: real-time monitoring, anomaly detection, master data integration, product flow integration and more.

Comprehensive Report: ACHIEVED

A whitepaper titled “Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) and the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain” was published in May 2025. Axia was asked to present key findings at the RFID Journal Live on May 7 in Las Vegas. The trade group, AIM (Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility) hosted a webinar, “Can RFID Take Us Beyond DSCSA to Stop Counterfeits, Improve Safety and Streamline Pharma?“