The Food and Drug Administration has picked a quartet of technology and retail giants for a pilot program that will assess the use of blockchain to protect pharmaceutical product integrity
IBM, KPMG, Merck and Walmart will help drug supply chain stakeholders develop a system that will identify and trace certain prescription drugs as they are distributed within the U.S, according to a June 13 announcement.
The project will create shared permissioned blockchain network that allows real-time monitoring of products. The system would cut the time needed to track and trace inventory and allow reliable distribution information to be retrieved promptly. It would also improve the accuracy of data shared among network members and help determine the integrity of products in the distribution chain.
The initiative is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2019.