RFID pilot results in 100% drug traceability

A recent pilot by Axia Institute (at Michigan State University) shows that using RFID — rather than just barcodes — can deliver full, end-to-end traceability for pharmaceutical products under real-world conditions. 

The U.S. Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) requires that prescription drugs be traceable across the supply chain. While traditional barcodes have long been used, they rely on scanning each item manually and require line-of-sight — which can lead to missed scans, errors or delays.  

RFID technology — specifically passive “RAIN” UHF RFID tags, encoded using the common GS1 US standard — was identified as a promising alternative because RFID does not need line-of-sight and can be scanned in bulk.  

In the first phase (lab setting) the team tested RFID tags on different types of packaging (solid tablets, liquid vials) to see whether they could be read reliably. In phase two they scaled up to a real-world distribution environment: 6,920 drug units, using full pallets and real warehouse/distribution workflows, with multiple read-points along the supply chain. 

They also developed a central cloud-based platform (the Axia Observer Platform) to collect RFID read data, monitor movement, detect anomalies and ensure traceability throughout the chain.  

The system achieved 100% traceability across the supply chain for all 6,920 items, even across different packaging types, pallets, and scan-points.  Errors (e.g. missing or extra items) were automatically detected and corrected in real time — a big improvement over manual barcode-based systems.