Case Study
Digital Trust

Using Blockchain to Reduce Illicit Medicines and Theft in Supply Chains

How product traceability and digital trust strengthened supply chain security and transformed worldwide access to healthcare.

Testimonial

“BSI is working with the healthcare sector to improve access to medicines across low- and middle-income countries.”

Courtney Soulsby BSI's Sector Development Director, Healthcare

The People

Learn how an NGO created positive social impact using blockchain

A strategy that helped ensure donated medicines and vaccines were distributed successfully through the supply chain and ended up with the intended patients.

The Challenge

How do you improve supply chain visibility and security, boost stakeholder trust and drive down fraud?

In 2014, two global pharmaceutical companies, working with an NGO, pledged to donate and distribute up to 1 billion units of vaccines and medical supplies to low- and middle-income countries. The programme has since provided 450 million+ units, to treat 18,000+ people.

But there were initial concerns. Much of the donated product was being diverted and sold fraudulently. There were risk control gaps, uncertainty over stock and storage, and inconsistencies in traceability and utilization. All parties knew security and trust had to be improved.

The Solution

Facilitating secure blockchain technology that helps ensure medicines get where they need to go and benefit patients

We joined the project and helped improve the overall management system and on-the-ground oversight of the distribution of donated medicines. In partnership with Trace Labs, we launched AidTrust, a powerful data management hub.

It combines our supply chain risk and management system controls with Trace Labs’ OriginTrail Decentralized Knowledge Graph (DKG), a way to organize knowledge assets using blockchain. This winning combination enabled visibility of inventory and stock as it flowed through the supply chain, and ensured donated medicines were actually utilized by intended patients.

The benefits

AidTrust protects integrity, security and privacy of transportation, inventory, and patient data, enabling proactive decisions and real-time response.

AidTrust made inventory and stock visible and traceable throughout the supply chain
It made it possible to manage and improve governance at every point in the distribution process
It created digital supply chain security and the ability to trust information from multiple sources
This initial engagement became the framework for an AidTrust rollout across 40 countries

Testimonial

“A true example of digital trust through supply chains, leading to better outcomes for patients and society and progress towards a sustainable world.”

Courtney Soulsby BSI's Sector Development Director, Healthcare

Why BSI

Ensuring security and trust throughout the supply chain

BSI's longstanding supply chain expertise, and our effectiveness at integrating with and adapting to innovative solutions such as blockchain, laid the foundations for a strategy to help patients in need at the required scale.

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Strengthening your supply chain with digital trust

Discover how BSI combined technology and processes to minimize fraud, ensuring that vital medicine was delivered to those most in need.

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