ADOPTION OF BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY FRAMEWORK FOR ADDRESSING COUNTERFEIT DRUGS CIRCULATION IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT:

In this study, a blockchain technology framework that can handle the drug distribution chain was discussed. Since blockchain technology offers immutability, transparency and tamper-proof, its functionalities are what intrigued the study as it can monitor the movement of drugs in the distribution chain. Counterfeit drugs are a problem in both developed and developing countries. Nigeria, as a developing country, is experiencing the problem of counterfeit drugs. The current drug distribution system in Nigeria is a manually, unmonitored system, where the regulatory agency body, NAFDAC, does not have a detailed record on the movement of drugs from either the importer or manufacturer to the patient in the system. A prototype system, demonstrating the hashing mechanism with a deployed smart contract and how it can help in showing the authenticity of a drug was designed using Python 3.9, HTML, CSS, and Flask, on an Intel(R) Core (TM) i5-4310U with 4.00 GB memory running on windows 10 pro. The system was tested using dummy data and the generated result showed that the system is effective. The proposed blockchain is a private blockchain, where participants on the network are permitted to have access to the network by the regulatory agency. The negative effects that counterfeit drugs have on human health and the economy of the country can be mitigated when this framework is implemented.

Keywords: Blockchain technology framework, Counterfeit Drug, Drug distribution system, Supply chain system