Startup Innovations: Blockchain Solutions for Integrity and Transparency in Pharmaceutical Supply Chains
Riya Sharma, Kiran Deep Singh, Prabh Deep Singh, Ambika Prakash Mani · BENTHAM SCIENCE PUBLISHERS eBooks · 2025
The pharmaceutical supply chain plays a critical role in infrastructure that ensures the delivery of safe and effective drugs to consumers. However, the prevalence of counterfeit drugs poses a significant risk to public health, intellectual property, and industry development. Blockchain technology, with its decentralized and immutable ledger, offers a robust solution to these challenges. This chapter is an attempt to explore the role of blockchain technology in ensuring the integrity and transparency of the pharmaceutical supply chain. The study presents a comprehensive overview of research studies and patents on the use of blockchain technology in diverse industries. Essentially, a blockchain is a string of transactional blocks linked by a hashing algorithm to the previous block. This chapter proposes blockchain-based processes designed to ensure the integrity and transparency of the supply chain in the pharmaceutical industry. With a detailed case study and examples, this chapter illustrates how startups and pioneering blockchain-based solutions create a secure, transparent supply chain. Additionally, this chapter also examines the integration of smart contracts in transactions, emphasizing their role in automating compliance and streamlining processes. The study discusses regulatory compliance in deploying blockchain solutions. Analyzing the potential of blockchain to enhance the supply chain’s integrity and transparency, this chapter offers valuable insights for entrepreneurs, industry professionals, and policymakers. The study demonstrates how blockchain technology can be leveraged to combat counterfeit drugs and ensure a more sustainable and resilient pharmaceutical industry.