Tracing drugs from discovery to disposal

Abstract

The life cycle of a drug begins with discovery and ends with its disposal. Drug discovery companies, drug manufacturers, regulatory agencies, suppliers, pharmacies, patients, healthcare providers, and many more are involved in this process. Transparency, traceability, automation, and data security are some of the most crucial factors affecting how effectively and safely the transactions are conducted across all parties involved in the cycle. By contrast, scalability, energy consumption, regulation, standards, and complexity hamper the adoption of new technology that is expected to fulfil these requirements. Here, we highlight how blockchain technology can track, accelerate, and boost the efficiency of incredibly complicated operations, such as pharmaceutical development.

Keywords: blockchain; drug development; drug discovery; drug disposal; drug distribution; drug manufacturing; drug use.