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DSCSA Pilot Used Blockchain To Trace Drug Through 'Last Mile' of Supply Chain

 
• By Joanne S. Eglovitch

A blockchain application for mobile devices was successfully piloted to conduct real-time tracking of a high-cost drug through the “last mile” of the supply chain to the point of dispensing. Such a tool can be useful for manufacturers in tracing their products through the supply chain and complying with a forthcoming mandate of the US FDA Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA).

QR code scanning payment and verification. Hand using mobile smart phone scan QR code
Blockchain Technology Uses Mobile Application To Convey Information On Drug's Authenticity • Source: Shutterstock

A blockchain system that uses a mobile device to transmit information on changes in drug custody has enabled Biogen, Inc. to track and trace the company's high-volume, high-cost Spinraza (nusinersen) through the proverbial last mile of the pharmaceutical distribution chain at UCLA Health, demonstrating that the system can be used by manufacturers to comply with a mandate of the US Food and Drug Administration’s Drug Supply Chain Security Act that requires data architecture systems to be in place by November 2023.

So asserted Ben Taylor the CEO of LedgerDomain, who spoke at a 24 July webinar on implementation of the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) sponsored by the Partnership for DSCSA Governance (PDG), a group that is looking to advance the goals of the law’s implementation. PDG was formed last year as a non-profit coalition that is helping to guide and coordinate the data architecture system that participants in the biopharma distribution chain should have in place to communicate with each other under DSCSA to prevent drug counterfeiting

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