Leveraging Blockchain Technology For Enhancing Medication Traceability And Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Integrity In Clinical Pharmacy

Abstract

Blockchain technology is revolutionizing the face of industries worldwide and is especially revolutionary in the use of the pharmaceutical supply chain. This decentralized, immutable ledger system improves traceability of medication for integrity and fight against counterfeit drugs. The challenges in the pharmaceutical supply chain are many, from fragmented processes and counterfeit medications to strict regulatory standards. Blockchain addresses these issues in a secure, transparent framework for real-time drug traceability, from manufacturing through distribution.This paper discusses the capability of blockchain technology in changing the traceability of medication and managing supply chains within clinical pharmacy. The major implementations are Medledger, on Hyperledger Fabric, which provides tamper-proof transactions as well as more visibility in supply chains. Other uses of blockchain with IoT showed the capability of blockchain in tracking environmental conditions of transport to assure quality drugs. Although the benefits of blockchain are very numerous, its adoption still faces major hurdles, including technological limitations such as scalability and interactivity, regulatory hurdles, and resistance from stakeholders who are very adapted to traditional systems. Here, strategies toward overcoming the issues will be put forward, in which the problem of standardization, interoperability, and mutual cooperation among the multitude of stakeholders should be emphasized.