BLOCKCHAIN IMPLEMENTATION INTO SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

The blockchain technology can be used in many ways in the pharmaceutical industry (e.g.,fraud management, identity management, document verification). Blockchain can provide more insight and trustworthiness to supply chain processes in the pharmaceutical industry, where transport and storage conditions of medications are crucial. This article is based on a case study, a qualitative research method, investigating how the blockchain technology could be incorporated into supply chain management in the pharmaceutical environment. As blockchain stores and validates the entire data history, it provides the possibility to verify the authenticity of medications, check their handling, and monitor physical storage and transport conditions (such as, temperature and humidity) to prevent any unintentionally changes of their properties. The article proposes a design of an extended supply chain management process using blockchain. The main added value of using blockchain is having information about storage conditions during the entire lfecycle and better protection of the system against fake drugs.