Manufacturing Magazine - October 2021 | Page 106

TECHNOLOGY

Some challenges with data include having a linear flow of material and data across manufacturing and supply chain . In such cases , data flows linearly , one partner up and one partner down . For end-to-end traceability , a request would be made by a trading partner through the supply chain . Each partner then provides the electronic information back to the requesting entity , which is slow , inefficient , and may be outdated by the time the information is received by the requesting entity . The systems used by different organisations may be isolated and not communicate across organisations due to issues with trust and concerns with security in sharing data and access to systems with other organisations .

With blockchain , as information of each transaction or record is visible transparently to all stakeholders in the supply chain , there is near real-time access to data . Also , as discussed above , as organisations verify the authenticity of the record , blockchain has the advantage of not requiring any single central owner of all information , so organisations don ’ t need to share their internal systems or proprietary information , only the record or transaction to be verified need be shared transparently across all participants in the supply chain alleviating any concerns with trust and security of data and systems .

- Arul Joseph , Senior Director , Pharmaceutical Development and Clinical Supply Chain , Avanir Pharmaceuticals

Another example of the technology being used in pharmaceutical manufacturing given by Joseph is “ a PharmaLedger project to provide patients with electronic medical inserts , which are digital versions of the paper inserts , using blockchain . Blockchain-based electronic medical inserts are expected to allow pharmaceutical companies to provide secure and accurate updates directly to patients in near realtime . The patient can use an app to scan a code outside of the drug product package , which allows the patient to access the most current updated and accurate information for that drug . The advantage of using blockchain-based digital or electronic medical inserts is it can reduce mislabeling issues from incorrect paper inserts and

106 October 2021