Supply chain & logistics Targeting
rafficking counterfeit medicines is a growing trade, which studies estimate to be worth between $200bn and $431bn annually. Most of the substandard and falsified medical products entering the supply chain end up in the developing world. One in 10 medical products distributed to low and middle-income countries failed quality control tests, according to data published in 2017 from WHO’s Global Surveillance and Monitoring System for substandard and falsified medicines. Africa is one of the most affected regions, accounting for 42% of the substandard and falsified medical products reported to the WHO. Certain regulators have attempted to address the problem. For example, in 2013, the EU’s Falsified Medicines Directive came into force, strengthening record-keeping requirements for wholesale distributors
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The pharmaceutical industry is always looking to innovate to bolster more transparency in the supply chain. One way to achieve this is the adoption of digital twins and blockchain technology in the supply chain. Lorraine Mullaney speaks to experts to find out how the pharmaceutical industry can achieve transparency, compliance and secure supply chain.
and the US Obama Administration enacted the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA). The latter regulation outlines steps to achieve an interoperable and electronic way to identify and trace certain prescription drugs at the package level as they move through the supply chain.
Blockchain technology can provide a solution to the traceability issue. It creates a decentralised, tamper- proof database on which to safely track the passage of subscription medication. Working with digital twins, it creates a secure, transparent digital ledger that enables the verifiable recording of transactions along the supply chain across a network of computers. No single authority controls the information and, once recorded, the data cannot be altered or deleted, which ensures security and trust.
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World Pharmaceutical Frontiers /
www.worldpharmaceuticals.net
elenabsl; octopusaga/
www.shutterstock.com
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