A Survey on Application of Blockchain Technology in Drug Supply Chain Management

Abstract

Drug counterfeiting and trafficking are common all over the world. The main reason for this is that the traditional drug supply chain model is opaque, and the database is controlled by the direct interest person, so there is a chance that the actual controller tampers with or falsifies the data for personal gain. The blockchain, as a distributed ledger, can achieve process transparency, data sharing, and autonomous management in the pharmaceutical supply chain through its unique cryptographic algorithms, smart contracts, and consensus mechanisms. However, it introduces a number of new issues, such as scalability, system interoperability, and regulatory policies. This paper discusses the benefits of blockchain technology in enabling the drug supply chain, as well as some academic research and mature industry solutions in this area. We also go over some of the issues that need to be addressed and potential response strategies for using blockchain technology in pharmaceutical supply chain scenarios. Finally, in order to address issues with current drug supply chain regulation, we propose a new model that incorporates the ‘‘governing blockchain by blockchain’’ architecture in order to achieve safe and efficient automated supply chain management.