A Blockchain-Integrated Web Interface for Supply Chain

Management in Medicine Industry

Dipta Mukherjee, Subhra Banerjee and Sourav Chakraborty

Assistant Professor, University of Engineering & Management, Jaipur, India

Keywords: Blockchain-Integrated, Tracing, Pharmaceutical Company, Supply Chain Management.

Abstract: The mismanagement of supply chains in pharmaceutical companies has significantly increased the prevalence

of counterfeit medicines. There is an urgent need for regular monitoring of drug ownership and the distribution

of expired medicines. Blockchain technology offers a reliable remedy to these problems by enhancing

transparency within companies. Utilizing a decentralized database, blockchain ensures data integrity.

Leveraging the Ethereum Blockchain, it ensures the storage of immutable data through advanced

cryptographic algorithms, providing comprehensive security and transparency in the system.

1 INTRODUCTION

In 2004, the term WEB 2.0, also known as the

participative social web, highlighted the importance

of user-generated content, usability, and

interoperability for end users. More recently, the

internet has evolved significantly with the advent of

Web 3.0, characterized by distributed ledger

technology, commonly referred to as Blockchain.

Blockchain introduces the concept of data

decentralization. Initially, it was closely linked to

digital currency, leading to the uprise of Bitcoin.

Blockchain has gained substantial acceptance due to

its decentralized and transparent nature, enabling the

recording of transactions between non-trusting

stakeholders. Simply put, Blockchain is a shared

information database agreed by distributed network.

This study applies Ethereum-based Blockchain

technology to enhance drug traceability in supply

chain management. The supply chain consists of

interconnected channels and points of control from

production to distribution, with corporate and private

networks at various levels little data is shared

between these systems due to security or system

barriers therefore often leaves it unclear and

untraceable. Maintaining system reliability is

important, as reliance on a centralized server carries

the risk of data loss during congestion. Ensuring the

authenticity and authenticity of medication quantity

and quality is essential to prevent counterfeit

medication and ensure patient safety.

Blockchain is emerging as the best solution to achieve

decentralization, security, traceability and

transparency in the supply chain network. It operates

as a peer-to-peer ledger system, using decentralized

blocks to store data safely through asymmetric key

encryption and hash functions This approach not only

ensures the integrity of drug information but

maintains confidentiality among manufacturers and

between users through smart contracts, which in the

former are used to store patient histories in healthcare

systems

Figure 1: Smart Contract & Hash Function in Blockchain.

Data handling and security are important concerns in

medicine, making process integrity of paramount

importance. Counterfeit medicines with harmful

ingredients pose a serious risk to consumers. The

pharmaceutical manufacturing process encompasses

end-to-end processes from sourcing active ingredients

to manufacturing and delivery of the final product to

Chakraborty, S., Mukherjee, D. and Banerjee, S.

A Blockchain-Integrated Web Interface for Supply Chain Management in Medicine Industry.

DOI: 10.5220/0013280600004646

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Cognitive & Cloud Computing (IC3Com 2024), pages 161-164

ISBN: 978-989-758-739-9

161

patients to ensure patient safety and medicines timely

delivery is the most important aspect of this supply

chain.

Our primary approach to dealing with the

limitations of centralized data is to detect counterfeits

and monitor order flow at every stage of the supply

chain using blockchain technology. This ensures

maximum security, traceability, and proper

authentication. Data from each entity must be entered

into the blockchain network to provide a traceable

path for end consumers. Each block in the network

has a unique hash (private and public keys), a

timestamp, and the hash of the previous block. Once

entered, data cannot be altered or changed by anyone

other than the admin. The primary security

requirement is met as the blocks where data is stored

are secured by private keys.

2 LITERATURE REVIEW

Lingayat et al. analysed blockchain architectures for

pharmaceutical companies, comparing the Ethereum

Public Blockchain and Hyperledger Blockchain

Framework. They assessed parameters such as

transparency, centralization, scalability, security, and

privacy. The study found that while platforms like

Ethereum and Groin scale effectively, they are

unsuitable for identity management systems (IMS).

Additionally, Ethereum's proof of work consensus is

computationally intensive, whereas Hyperledger

offers IMS along with scalability, and improved

tracking and tracing systems through its pBFT-

Byzantine fault tolerance approach.

Uddin et al. proposed two blockchain-based drug

traceability systems using Hyperledger Besu and

Hyperledger Fabric architectures. They evaluated

these systems based on security, privacy,

accessibility, and transparency, and discussed

challenges in adopting such technologies in

pharmaceutical supply chains.

Zakari et al. conducted a systematic literature

review (SLR) on blockchain technology in the

pharmaceutical industry, evaluating parameters such

as tracking, tracing, counterfeit prevention,

distribution, and data security. A meta-analysis was

conducted that identified reliability, traceability,

transparency, traceability, and real-time data as

important success factors. Their review addressed key

questions regarding previous studies, major areas of

application, limitations, and future research

directions.

Zoughalian et al. proposed a blockchain-based

solution for transparency in drug delivery systems

using Python framework. Their framework ensures

data integrity through authentication mechanisms at

each node, including timestamps, unique identifiers

(UUIDs), and configured connections. It achieves

collision, availability, and separation tolerance

through the CAP theorem and zero knowledge proofs

(ZKPs).

Siby et al. proposed a blockchain and web-based

supply chain management systems were introduced to

pharmaceutical companies, compared to traditional

database systems based on transparency and security

Switched to blockchain for increased security and

traceability, InterPlanetary File System ( used to store

cryptographic hashes). IPFS) is integrated.

Another study proposed a collaborative

framework integrating blockchain and IoT for drug

supply management. It used Ethereum smart

contracts for business logic and data encryption,

ensuring traceability from sender to recipient using

role-based access rules.

Tiwari et al. explored blockchain adoption in

third-party logistics (3PL), highlighted shortcomings

and proposed digitization strategies for supply chain

transactions to address issues of accuracy, security

and data quality

Anthony et al. moderated an anti-counterfeit

submission system was developed using the

Ethereum Solidity language, which ensured that the

products were authentic and traceable while

transparently scanning the network

Shannan et al. designed a distributed traceability

platform using barcodes, RFID tags, and sensors,

ensuring supply chain visibility and data privacy

through zero-knowledge proofs and an enhanced

PBFT algorithm.

Lastly, a proof-of-concept model integrated

Hyperledger Fabric with Odoo ERP, employing a

three-layer architecture to synchronize

communication among manufacturers, consumers,

and logistic partners in the supply chain.

3 METHODOLOGY

To implement this solution, we have developed a web

interface using Node.js and React, leveraging their

capabilities as open-source platforms and front-end

libraries respectively. Node.js serves for server-side

programming, content generation while React

supports smart contract development. Ethereum

serves as our decentralized platform for storing data

in blocks, with the Metamask wallet enabling

connectivity to the local host and managing each

account and transaction within the interface.

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The proposed pharmaceutical network, depicted in

Figure 2, encompasses key roles: Designer,

Regulator, Manufacturer, Distributor, Retailer, and

Consumer. The flow of medicines commences with

the designer creating drug compositions. The

regulator validates the drug's composition, after

which the manufacturer produces and transports the

drug to the distributor. The distributor then distributes

the medicines across entities such as pharmacies,

hospitals, and retailers, ensuring patients receive the

correct medications.

Figure 2: Framework of Supply Chain Management in

Pharmaceutical Companies of drug counterfeiting.

4 CONCLUSION

This paper introduces a web-based drug delivery

system that uses blockchain technology. Employees

assign roles to different nodes such as designer,

regulator, manufacturer, distributor, and retailer.

Transaction information is stored on the Ethereum

blockchain network, allowing customers to trace the

entire journey of a product using its unique ID. This

approach simplifies the search process and ensures

that counterfeit drugs are removed from the network.

Data storage on the blockchain network also increases

security.

In summary, blockchain technology provides

decentralization, transparency, trust, anonymity and

stability. Its validation in the pharmaceutical industry

represents a strong solution to prevent the distribution

of counterfeit drugs

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