Blockchain-Based Framework for Online Pharmacy Product Anti-Counterfeiting

Abstract

The role of online pharmacies in supplying pharmaceutical products has experienced significant growth; the anonymity provided by the internet and the inherent nature of online pharmacies enables counterfeit pharmaceuticals to reach a global audience, making it extremely difficult to monitor and enforce anti-counterfeit measures. The current framework by online pharmacies uses centralized records for product authentication; however, such records are vulnerable to manipulation, allowing the inclusion of pharmaceutical products sourced from unregulated supply chains. The growth of blockchain technology in preserving data integrity and confidentiality through hashing and decentralization of transaction records presents a potential path to revolutionize various aspects of the pharmaceutical supply chain against counterfeiting. This study sought to develop a Blockchain-based framework to address pharmaceutical product counterfeiting in online pharmacy supply chains. The following objectives guided the study: first, to analyze existing frameworks used in pharmaceutical product anti-counterfeiting and identify gaps; second, to design a Blockchain-based framework for online pharmacy product anti-counterfeiting; and third, to evaluate the proposed Blockchain-based framework for product anti-counterfeiting. This study adapted design science research with a research strategy for each phase; desktop research was adapted to examine traditional and blockchain-based frameworks used to combat pharmaceutical product counterfeiting. The analysis was based on a set of variables drawn from existing literature. The analysis results showed the inadequacy of traditional frameworks in guaranteeing the integrity of authentication data; in addition, blockchain-based frameworks presented high operation costs and low transaction throughput. The proposed framework (BFOP) was designed based on the guidelines of the ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010:2022. The framework strikes a balance between decentralization and regulation; the regulator is included in the design to take charge of node registration and transaction approval, indirectly addressing compensation for nodes involved in the mining process and high computational costs associated with blockchain. The study adopted a simulation approach to evaluate the proposed framework using a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). The MVP was developed and deployed using Ganache and the Remix IDE for writing and testing smart contracts. Simulation results affirm that (BFOP) offers competitive advantages regarding transaction costs of about X=3.150*10 ^ -7Gwei, which is considered slightly cheaper compared to 3.8*10^-5 reported by similar frameworks, making its architecture a promising pharmaceutical supply chain integrity solution. In addition, BFOP's average transaction time of ten seconds is comparable with other frameworks, confirming its potential for practical deployment.