Global blockchain solution aims to secure vaccine supply chains | 08-07-2021 |
Tech Mahindra a major Indian IT company is partnering with start-up StaTwig, a Singapore and Hyderabad, India based digital supply chain solution provider, to implement a new blockchain-based traceability solution for vaccines, VaccineLedger. The partnership aims to roll-out the solution for international vaccine supply chain transparency to predict and prevent failures in these supply chains, including problems related to expired vaccines, stock shortages and counterfeiting.
The companies will work towards building a global consortium of vaccine researchers, governments, pharmaceutical companies, distributors, and healthcare workers. StaTwig will leverage Tech Mahindra’s expertise, including access to sales and customer networks, domain experience, balance sheet support, resource scale and system integration knowledge. In addition, Tech Mahindra has invested in co-development and testing of various enterprise security modules for the mobile and web application, to support individual requirements from manufacturers and state governments.
Rajesh Dhuddu, blockchain and cybersecurity practice leader for APAC and EMEA, Tech Mahindra, said, “Our strategic partnership with StaTwig will enable supply chain participants with a single application to enhance traceability and chain of custody. This will not only ensure safety and validity of vaccine supply but also helps with adherence to complex regulatory requirements in many countries.”
As blockchain supports real time data sharing, authentication and validation, vaccine manufacturers can use such data beyond track & trace to inventory management, vendor payments, IoT integration and smart contract. A mobile app used to verify and record shipments as they are received at warehouses or other parts of the supply chain is already available for iOS and Android, and StaTwig has been piloting the platform in India
VaccineLedger is an open source platform and designed to perform end-to-end traceability at vial level for vaccines in the global supply chain. It prevents the need to replace the existing system, removing the barriers of adoption. It can easily integrate with existing systems and show immediate results in the countries where it is deployed, claim the partners.
Sid Chakravarthy, founder and CEO, StaTwig, explained, “With VaccineLedger, we are aiming to re-design and re-engineer the traditional supply chain information systems to give continuous visibility and complete traceability. With this system, vaccine manufacturers and governments can work together to prevent counterfeiting, cold-chain failures and stock shortages.”
His company, which is backed by the UNICEF Innovation Fund, originally developed VaccineLedger to try to improve the delivery of vaccines to remote rural areas in India. The solution provides critical information about the vaccine on its journey through the supply chain, such as temperature, humidity, chain of custody and location, which are all recorded on the blockchain ledger.
