Companies have until March 11th to apply to participate in the pilot. You'll have to wait a while to see the resulting technology in widespread use, mind you. The tracking system isn't slated to take effect until 2023, 10 years after the law mandating the technology (the Drug Supply Chain Security Act) took effect.

The pilot might still be well-timed. The US continues to grapple with an opioid addiction problem. A technology like blockchain could reduce the chances of opioids and other dangerous drugs escaping the supply chain, and could identify where those drugs came from if and when they do get into the wild. That, in turn, could discourage rogue employees and suppliers from selling medicine to people who don't really need it.