A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW: THE POWER OF THE BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE PHARMACEUTICAL SUPPLY CHAIN

ABSTRACT

Despite the blockchain's considerable potential to solve traditional supply chain problems, research on its deployment in pharmaceutical supply chains (PSC) is sparse. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to provide a conceptual framework for blockchain implementation within the pharmaceutical supply chain. To document the twelve-year research's, 78 transdisciplinary publications published between 2010 and 2022 were examined using a comprehensive literature review and text mining method. Descriptive and thematic research highlights emerging Blockchain trends in pharmaceutical supply chain. Future research will primarily focus on the use of Blockchain for drug counterfeiting and recall issues, as well as other sector-specific challenges like patient health data sharing, compliance, and clinical trials. The arguments and obstacles for technology acceptance, implementation steps and applications highlighted through the thematic analysis will help build the orientation for the research. Compared to other industries, research on blockchain for PSC has lagged, but it has picked up speed since the Covid-19 pandemic. Researchers and professionals will be guided by the identified influencing factors and implementation roadmap for adopting Blockchain in the pharmaceutical business. The suggested framework is original and offers manufacturers, ministry of health, and private sectors helpful guidelines to Leverage the power of blockchain technology. © 2023 Little Lion Scientific.