Blockchain enabled drug traceability solution: a case of drug counterfeiting in a pharmaceutical supply chain

Abstract

The pharmaceutical industry deals with manufacturing, packaging and supply of drugs to the end consumers. Being one of the major industries in Kenya, it plays a big role in the Kenyan economy as well. Most countries are tackling this menace of fake drugs penetrating their markets at a high rate. The drug cartels have embarked on this business and are growing their wings to various parts of the world. The drugs packaging is so similar to the original manufacturer’s Product that at first glance one cannot tell the difference between a legit Product and a counterfeit one. Unfortunately, most drug users over the years have been on these fake medications and as a result some of them have not been successful in the treatment of their diseases. In the direst of situations, some patients have aggravated their conditions with the worst-case scenarios resulting to death. The main objective of this dissertation was to come up with a blockchain enabled drug traceability solution that enabled visibility in the supply chain. This solution ensured the drug registered by the company was genuine, and that the end user will be able to see who handled the Product before reaching them. In a way, this will aid in reducing, eventually eradicating the challenge of drug counterfeits in the market. The dissertation area of focus was a pharmaceutical manufacturing company’s supply chain setup and the Waterfall Approach was the SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) approach used. The study devised a solution that can aid in drug traceability of the drug issued to an end user thus a patient in the drug chain. This helped a patient determine if the drug they are purchasing is genuine. The study used blockchain technology to come up with the application.