Regulator of USA health care begins to use blockchain for control of turnover of drugs

In February, 2019 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced use of blockchain technology for control of circulation of medicines.

Thanks to the new program the regulator calculates that medical institutions and drugstores will receive and spread genuine medicines (especially medicines with narcotic properties), and process of their deliveries in a chain will become completely transparent and strictly controlled.

The regulator of health care of the USA begins to use a blockchain for control of turnover of drugs

FDA seriously thought of implementation of effective methods of tracking of products using a blockchain after  flash  of colibacillus in the United States which the American sanitary authorities connect with consumption in food of lettuce leaves.

At the end of 2018 department employed the vice president for security of foodstuff from Walmart network Frank Yiannas. He is appointed the deputy commissioner for a power supply and veterinary science and dealt with issues of use of new instruments of accounting and tracking of products and medicines.

By February, 2019 FDA applies a blockchain in the test mode and continues to collect the request for commercial project implementation from producers. Large-scale system deployment is planned in 2023.

The new project is very important for the USA which deals not the first year with the problem of opioid dependence. The blockchain technology should exclude the probability that opiates and other drugs will escape from a supply chain, and with ease will define a source. It will prevent unfair employees and suppliers to sell drugs to people who in fact do not need them.

FDA took steps for implementation of the technologies allowing to identify and trace the drugs which are released according to the recipe in a supply chain earlier. In particular, rules on use of identifiers of a product with unique serial number and the systems of check were published to isolate and investigate suspicious and illegal medicines.^[1]

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