Blockchain technology has emerged as a transformative solution for enhancing transparency, security, and efficiency in supply chain management, particularly in the healthcare sector. This paper explores the application of blockchain for improving pharmaceutical supply chains by ensuring the traceability of medicines from manufacturing to end-user delivery. By leveraging decentralized and immutable ledger systems, the proposed solution mitigates the risks of counterfeit drugs and enhances trust among stakeholders. Additionally, the integration of blockchain with Internet of Things (IoT) devices provides real-time monitoring of storage conditions and ensures product integrity. The system also prevents dispensing errors in pharmacies through QR code-based verification, addressing challenges posed by similar-sounding drug names. The study discusses the technical framework, implementation challenges, and the potential of blockchain to revolutionize healthcare logistics, improve patient safety, and increase operational efficiency in pharmaceutical supply chains.
K R Raghunandan, Dhanya, Avisha V Shetty, A. Bhat · 6 authors
Counterfeiting, increased fake intermediate products, lack of transparency, unauthorized alteration of data, and other related problems throughout the supply chain have made it necessary for the modern pharmaceutical industry to ensure integrity and security. Thus, the above-mentioned problem can be solved by a decentralized blockchain-based system, which ensures security and traceability. In the proposed solution, there are seven stakeholders including manufacturers and consumers. Authorized manufacturers are allowed to store the drugs in the blockchain network, and corresponding QR and bar codes are generated. This generates a reliable record of drug movements by constructing an architecture that is decentralized to avoid alteration of the data by anyone. Consumers have the opportunity to scan QR codes to ensure that their products are genuine and trace their origin. By addressing the challenges of the conventional pharmaceutical supply chain that provides high transparency, minimal counterfeits, and assured data security, this system addresses the aforementioned disadvantages.
Pharmaceutical Quality and Counterfeiting
Innovative Microfluidic and Catalytic Techniques Innovation
In recent times, the number of fake drugs has increased dramatically, which has resulted in millions of victims severely affected by poisoning and treatment failures, resulting in a need for Drug Supply Chain (DSC) traceability. The DSC is generally reluctant to share traceability data and includes several parties having heterogeneous interests. Moreover, existing provenance and traceability systems for DSCs need more trust, data sharing transparency, and separated data storage. By realizing decentralized, trustless systems, a decentralized Blockchain (BC)-based solution is proposed to tackle these constraints. BC is an immutable, decentralized, shared network that allows management directly through a peer-to-peer (P2P) network without the necessity of a central authority to check transactions. This study proposes a new Blockchain Non-Fungible Token-based Drug Traceability with Enhanced Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Management (BNFTDT-EPSCM) model. The proposed BNFTDT-EPSCM model presents transparent and more secure reporting of changes in the operating condition of transported pharmaceutical products to prevent drug recalls. The Ethereum BC enables transactions and computational services using the cryptocurrency Ether (ETH). Simultaneously, an enhanced Byzantine fault-tolerant consensus (RB-BFT) leverages a reputation system to address reliability issues of primary nodes and reduce communication complexity inherent in the Practical Byzantine algorithm (PBFT). The BNFTDT-EPSCM model presents a decentralized solution using Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) to improve the traceability and tracking capabilities of the standard serialization process. In addition, the BNFTDT-EPSCM model employs a Deep Belief Network (DBN) approach to perform the inbound logistics task prediction process. Finally, the Tasmanian Devil Optimization (TDO) method is utilized to enhance the hyperparameter tuning of the DBN approach. A detailed set of simulations was executed to examine the effectiveness of the BNFTDT-EPSCM approach, demonstrating a higher throughput at the highest user count of 6000 and achieving 551.22 TPS, significantly outperforming existing models.
Currently, the stakeholders involved in the pharma supply chain are manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and patients. The process is excessively complicated, offers minimum transparency and accountability, and appears poorly protected from counterfeiting. This paper proposes a novel integration of Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, blockchain technology, and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), creating a transparent, immutable ledger that ensures the authenticity and visibility of drugs throughout the supply chain. IoT sensors provide real-time tracking of environmental conditions and moments of drugs, while blockchain technology ensures a secure, tamper-proof record of every transaction, enhancing traceability through the supply chain. Role-Based Access Control strengthens security by limiting access to sensitive data according to the roles of different stakeholders. The use of Smart contracts simplifies processes, as it removes intermediaries and ensures secure transaction histories. This integrated approach addresses counterfeiting and transforms pharmaceutical supply chain management by improving transparency, security, and efficiency. Enhanced blockchain performance facilitates more effective drug delivery, ultimately improving patient outcomes. By utilizing these advanced technologies, the proposed system significantly reduces risks associated with counterfeiting and supply chain disturbances, ensuring the delivery of safe and effective medications to patients.
Funlade Sunmola, George Baryannis, Albert Tan, Kenneth T. Co · 5 authors
The global halal market is growing, driven by rising stakeholder populations and increasing consumer interest in ethical and sustainable food choices. This surge in demand necessitates robust halal compliance throughout complex supply chains. However, there are several challenges, including fragmented information, increased understanding of halal requirements among stakeholders, and difficulties in tracing product provenance. This paper proposes a holistic framework for halal certification and compliance, addressing these challenges through the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technologies. AI can automate halal compliance checks, identify potential irregularities in sourcing and composition, and facilitate risk management. The blockchain offers an ideal platform for tracking product provenance throughout the halal supply chain. This ensures trust and confidence among consumers by providing verifiable information on ingredient origin and production processes. This paper further strengthens the potential of this framework by presenting an illustrative example that utilises knowledge graphs, machine learning, and smart contracts. This exemplifies the potential application of the proposed framework in the context of halal pre-certification processes. By fostering transparency and streamlining compliance procedures, the proposed holistic framework, empowered by AI and the blockchain, can significantly enhance trust and confidence among stakeholders within the halal food industry.
Counterfeit drugs represent a serious global risk, accounting for about 10% of the medicines worldwide. This per-centage increases significantly in developing countries, reaching up to 30%, and has become a major cause of child mortality in these regions. Blockchain technology provides a good solution to address this critical issue through improving transparency and traceability of pharmaceuticals from manufacturers to end users. However, traditional blockchain applications face major challenges, particularly in terms of high costs and scalability especially when handling large volumes of data and transactions such as those found in the pharmaceutical supply chain. To address these limitations, researchers have introduced Layer 2 blockchain technologies, which operate on top of standard blockchain networks to improve scalability and reduce costs. This paper aims to design an efficient, secure, and scalable framework that can support traceability in pharmaceutical supply chains and contribute to reducing counterfeit drugs. This framework lever-ages Layer 2 blockchain solutions and combines Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) linked to Quick Response (QR) codes to provide unique identification for each drug. Furthermore, it incorporates the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) for off-chain storage to reduce the amount of data stored directly on the blockchain. Additionally, an access control mechanism is incorporated to ensure the protection of sensitive data by limiting access based on predefined roles. This enhances privacy and reduces the risk of data leakage or misuse. In conclusion, this work provides the global scientific community with a secure and scalable framework that can be applied internationally to strengthen pharmaceutical supply chains and reduce the risks of counterfeit drugs.
Open access
Pharmaceutical Quality and Counterfeiting
Blockchain Technology Applications and Security
Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) and Hardware Security
Traditional systems are typically unreliable and prone to fraud, putting patient safety at risk. To solve these issues, this work proposes a blockchain-based drug tracing system that improves security, trust, and efficiency. This paper examines the use application of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), particularly blockchain, to improve drug traceability in the healthcare distribution network. Blockchain technology ensures immutability, transparency, and decentralization, allowing stakeholders to securely track drugs from manufacturing to end-user consumption. Results indicate that blockchain-based supply chains improved drug traceability with an accuracy of up to 92, significantly reducing the risk of counterfeit drug infiltration. Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) ensures secure and transparent drug traceability by providing tamper-proof recordkeeping, real-time tracking, and stakeholder verification. This greatly minimizes counterfeit drug risks and strengthens trust in the pharmaceutical distribution network.
Pharmaceutical supply chain management (PSCM) aims to alleviate logistical challenges. However, traditional online pharma systems face issues during implementation, particularly regarding transparency and fostering mutual trust among stakeholders. The primary security goals for a supply chain management (SCM) solution are ensuring authentication, confidentiality, data provenance, and auditability. The proposed blockchain-based solution (BPSCM) is implemented in three phases: registration, pharmaceutical product circulation, and secure payment. The registration phase computes the identification number upon the hashed private key along with the Edwards-curve digital signature algorithm (EdDSA) for all the stakeholders. The pharm product circulation phase implements the transactions among the participants by developing smart contracts where cryptographic operators ensure data provenance. The security analysis demonstrates that the framework effectively mitigates impersonation and collusion attacks. Performance metrics, including gas consumption, throughput, latency, and computational cost, were examined and compared to standard PSCM frameworks to evaluate the BPSCM's effectiveness.
several industrial sectors including healthcare supply chain operations. The private sector works differently because blockchain technology brings better security as well as elevated accountability and enhanced transparency. The study investigates blockchain implementation in supply chains together with healthcare operations by showing its ability to track goods precisely while reducing theft and accelerating data movement. Independent research trials prove blockchain technology enhances key operational features through better medical data management and insurance claim processing and pharmaceutical supply chain monitoring. Our team observed major performance value increases through blockchain adoption which lowered patient record retrieval times by 40% in healthcare settings. The implementation of blockchain technology led to a service delivery enhancement together with a 50% reduction of administrative expenses which shortened insurance claim processing times. Blockchains reduce fraudulent pharmaceutical products by 30% thus helping the pharmaceutical industry protect both patient safety and product integrity. Through blockchain-enabled supply chain traceability operators detect and react swiftly to tainted products which decreases health hazards affecting the public. These important additions prove vital for industries focused on security because of their need for openness. The research confirms blockchain's ability to improve supply chain management through reduction of risks and increased transparency and better operational integrity and security for healthcare systems. Supply chain managers alongside healthcare providers can cut expenses while delivering faster services to patients through improved security and efficiency of their systems which results in enhanced customer protection. Supply chain operations together with the healthcare sector will operate more efficiently in a secure fiscal manner.
Sk. Khaleelullah, K. Siri Reddy, A. Sruthi Reddy, Devarasetty Kedhar · 6 authors
Counterfeit drugs pose a significant and pressing global challenge, particularly in developing nations, where the production and distribution of these illicit products are rampant. A critical factor contributing to this issue is the inherent deficiencies within the pharmaceutical supply chain. As pharmaceuticals traverse from suppliers to manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers, before reaching end consumers, the lack of information sharing among stakeholders creates opportunities for counterfeiting and compromises product integrity. In response to this challenge, this research work proposes leveraging blockchain technology to enhance traceability, visibility, and security within the pharmaceutical supply chain. By implementing a blockchain-based system, stakeholders in the pharmaceutical industry can effectively track the journey of drugs from their point of origin to their final destination, thus reducing the threats posed by counterfeit products.
Blockchain technology (BT), originally developed to facilitate secure digital monetary transactions, has recently gained significant traction in various healthcare sectors. Characterized by the exponential growth of sensitive data, the healthcare sector is poised to witness the emergence of BT. This emergence is primarily driven by the pressing need to globally expose, protect against threats, ensure confidentiality, and establish traceability for the plethora of sensitive data continuously generated by the healthcare industry. The healthcare supply chain focuses on traceability due to the prevalence of counterfeit and recalled drugs. Managing operational constraints such as temperature, humidity, and air quality within specified parameters is paramount. The various processes involved in international trade transactions contribute to the creation of numerous records, each of which is meticulously entered into the systems of the companies involved. Therefore, the problem set for this study was: What are the challenges and prospects for BT in the healthcare sector? To answer this question, the following objective was set: describe and examine the challenges and prospects of BT in the healthcare sector. In addition, a key research objective was to identify specific applications and use cases that can benefit the most from this technological advancement. In line with the research objective, a systematic review of all studies BT for traceability, anti-counterfeiting, and fraud detection was conducted from January 2023 to September 2023. Using robust tools such as VosViewer, we used bibliometric metrics from the renowned medical repository PubMed to construct and visually represent data analysis networks. BT shows remarkable potential to improve traceability and optimize supply chain management within healthcare organizations. The study includes a deep analysis of blockchain capabilities, including smart contracts, identity management, access control, and zero-knowledge proofing.
M. Vijayanand, R. Rama Kishore, Tantri Keerthi Dinesh
The top preeminence of the current healthcare system is the direct supply of medications amongst the manufacturer supply unit to the consumer. The pharmaceutical medication supply chain mechanism embraces a huge number of stakeholders, inclusive of distributors, product suppliers, retailer, medicine dealers and consumers. Today, forecasting ahead of time is also compelling and essential. Although it has becoming harder to track down the origin of raw materials and keep track of commodities as they move through the supply chain network, this has created chances for fake goods to join the real supply chain. Thus, to elevate and parlay the trackable goods in the pharmaceutical drug business logistics management using blockchain technology and machine learning. Blockchain is a sort of distributed ledger (DLT) that maintains an unchangeable record of all transaction data which is stored in Ethereum network that is transparent to all stakeholders and cannot be manipulated or changed. Implementing a blockchain-based machine learning system will provide the pharmaceutical industry with the tools necessary to improve drug traceability throughout the supply chain, leading to more efficient and secure healthcare in India.
Mark Gaynor, Kathleen N. Gillespie, Allison Roe, Erica F. Crannage · 5 authors
Background: In recent years, blockchain technology has made great strides in diverse industries but has fallen behind within the pharmaceutical industry. The pharmaceutical industry is complex and would benefit greatly from the distributed database and emphasis of information privacy promoted by blockchain technology. This paper identifies the potential best application for blockchain technology in the United States pharmaceutical industry by identifying current trends, companies exploring the possibilities of blockchain technology, and industry concerns with opportunities for improvement. Methods: We utilized a 4D framework using ease of implementation, novelty, necessity, and fit of the overall industry to examine the adoption of blockchain technology in the pharmaceutical industry. Based on the 2D framework of difficulty and novelty as driving factors for the development of foundational technologies in the world of business by Iansiti and Lakhani in The Harvard Business Review, each application was ranked and scored for the best potential implementation. The potential applications proposed in this paper can be grouped into two main categories. The first category, management, includes best use cases such as health records, clinical trials, and inventory systems. The second category, monitoring, highlights cases such as pharmaceutical products, preventing counterfeits, optimizing supply chains, and addressing prescription misuse and abuse.Results: Each application was ranked by the four metrics in the framework, giving the greatest weight to necessity and ease of implementation. Using the highlighted methodology above, the applications for best implementation include Prescription Drug Misuse and Abuse Prevention, Prevention of Counterfeits, Clinical Trial Outcomes, and Smart Contracts. Conclusion: Blockchain technology offers a new and promising solution to pharmaceutical industry needs. Each application of blockchain technology must fit within the framework of necessary, ease of implementation, familiarity amongst stakeholders, and fit of the overall industry to promote the most appropriate use. By using the extended framework proposed by Iansiti and Lakhani we show that blockchain, in all these domains, shows promise to improve pharmaceutical industry performance.
Currently, the halalness of a product may only be determined by the halal certificate or halal label displayed on the product packaging. Simply put, several halal-related issues, like cross-contamination, logistical issues, halal counterfeiting, global halal acceptance, and so forth, keep coming up. To address the numerous issues raised above, it is believed that a framework that can support worldwide halal provisions is necessary. The objective of this research is to create a blockchain smart contract framework for halal transparency, integrity, and traceability. Blockchain technology along with smart contracts can solve classic tracing problems including data leakage, manipulation, and invisible data. Organizational consistency across the halal production process and the availability of raw materials that adhere to sharia laws are two more basic challenges with halal certification that blockchain and smart contracts can resolve. The usual traceability problems, such as data explosion, material cross-contamination between halal and haram, and revelation of private information, can all be resolved by smart contracts that make use of on-chain, off-chain, and electronic product code information services (EPCIS).
Firoj A. Tamboli, Manasi S. Zade, Apurva A. Salunkhe, Monali D. Kore · 7 authors
Pharmacies need to manage their data effectively. A novel technology known as blockchain holds the potential to enhance transparency and safety for various pharmaceutical operations. The Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA), which was passed by the US Congress in 2013 to stop pharmaceuticals that are stolen, tainted, or counterfeit, has a response provided by blockchain technology. Blockchain technology is a decentralized distributed ledger that uses cryptographic techniques to provide security to a peer-to-peer network of transactions. These guarantee that a product is secure and suitable for consumer sale. By making sure laws are readily followed, blockchain provides solutions to improve the validity, reliability, and efficiency of medicine production. It also presents a chance to address one of the main issues, which is the surge of fake medications getting into the system and into the hands of patients or customers. According to the pharmaceutical industry, society is seriously threatened by fake medications. False medications have a direct or indirect negative impact on patients health, sometimes leading to major problems and even death. The pharmaceutical industry's inadequate supply chain management is the cause of this counterfeiting, which jeopardizes patient safety and damages the reputation of the manufacturer. Blockchain technology can be applied to supply chain management to provide assurance, security, traceability, and openness to the chain by providing visibility and immutability of each stage in the chain. A relatively new electronic data management technology called blockchain has promise for transparency and accountability. A blockchain is a ledger of transactions that is viewable by all users of a computer network, each with an identical copy of the ledger.
The pharma supply chain system utilized smart contracts aims to enhance transparency and efficiency in the drug distribution of process.Smart contracts, deployed on a blockchain, secure various supply chain stages, such as manufacturing, distribution, etc.This system ensures real-time visibility, reduces counterfeiting risks, and enables swift response to issues like recalls.Additionally, it fosters trust among stakeholders by providing an immutable record of transactions, ultimately promoting integrity and accountability within the pharma supply chain.
This paper introduces a cutting-edge smart logistics solution for Pharma Supply Chain Management (PSCM) by integrating smart contracts, logistics planning, and asset condition monitoring using Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Focused on enhancing accountability, traceability, and liability across the entire supply chain, the proposed model demonstrates realtime visibility as products move from the drug’s manufacturer to patients. In the PSCM, a critical concern is the safe and efficient delivery of medicines, particularly in maintaining precise temperature conditions. Addressing this challenge, the solution integrates blockchain, smart contracts, IoT sensors, and gas-efficient implementations. The system employs Radio Frequency (RF) sensors to collect accurately timestamped data, ensuring transparency and reliability in drug movement. Gas-efficient smart contracts streamline processes, revolutionizing pharmaceutical supply chain management and improving patient outcomes through real-time IoT monitoring, countering counterfeit drugs, and ensuring data integrity.
Open access
Blockchain Technology Applications and Security
Pharmaceutical Quality and Counterfeiting
Innovative Microfluidic and Catalytic Techniques Innovation