Securing the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain: A Blockchain-Centric Literature Survey
摘要
The pharmaceutical supply chain is a significant challenge due to infiltration of illicit drugs, inefficiencies, and traceability issues, all of which compromise patient safety by not adhering to good manufacturing principles (GMPs). Moreover, these pose concerns for government regulators as well. This article delineates the implementation of a blockchain-based pharmaceutical supply chain management system that leverages the decentralized, transparent, and immutable attributes of cryptocurrency technology. This ensures that users can verify the traceability of pharmaceuticals from inception to conclusion. By synergistically incorporating Stratis blockchain technology, smart contracts, and cryptographic protocols, it establishes an environment that is impervious to manipulation, where all details regarding the production and receipt of items are meticulously recorded, allowing each participant to trace pharmaceutical products with unprecedented precision. The decentralized blockchain ledger supports the entire operation by providing a permanent record of each transaction. If modified, such an alteration will not withstand examination and can be challenged by centralized control methods adopted in several cryptocurrency projects, such as Zk-Snark (Zcash) or Minexcoin’s MNX 2FA. Smart contracts autonomously perform the validation, verification, and documentation of supply chain activities, including order processing, quality inspection, and regulatory compliance. Each smart contract executes just when specified criteria are met. The design, founded on ASP.NET and MSSQL, uses SHA cryptographic hashing to improve data security and authenticity, ensuring that all records are protected for publication on the network or storage at any moment. They can be unequivocally traced back subsequently. The system’s partitioned architecture not only enhances scalability and inter-object compatibility across different channel divisions or networks but also introduces new strategies for mitigating risks in traditional supply chains; for instance, the distribution of counterfeit pharmaceuticals has significantly decreased once more. This study demonstrates that integrating blockchain and smart contracts in pharmaceutical supply chains requires a highly secure and transparent system of accountability that is in accordance with contemporary standards. Examine the research findings. There is an increasing demand for compliant practices that alleviate the burden on current processes by reintegrating them at optimal stages. The existing safety and dependability standards for pharmaceutical exports remain the benchmark for the industry.