MediLedger Project Officially Begins, Could Help End Opioid Crisis

For the most part, the opioid crisis is all about delivery and distribution of drug supplies getting out of hand. This could be where the MediLedger Project could come in and assist with ending the issue with its participation in the tracking of these supplies. The project is in conjunction with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Pilot Project Program aimed at doing exactly that.

In a recent press release, it was announced that the project will be starting its test to see the efficacy of the program for tracking drug supplies and distribution networks. Not only will this ensure that the supply chain itself is protected, but it could also help reduce the abuse of opioids. Tracking where the drugs are going can provide a picture of what adjustments need to be made to curtail the issue.

One of the companies that the MediLedger Project counts as a partner is AmerisourceBergen. There are 20 companies that are participating in this trial, which include a rather extensive and varied list of manufacturers. As to why there is so much interest in this new program, AmerisourceBergen Manufacturing Operations VP Matt Sample explains it in the release.

"The MediLedger pilot's strength is that it's a cross-industry effort to explore the use of a blockchain network to enable the interoperability required by the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) requirements in 2023. The potential solution is especially viable because it's open to all participants in the Pharma industry. We've been working with Chronicled since 2017 on solving these industry challenges and we believe that there is potential to great improvements to the prescription drug supply chain," Sample said.

This is yet another example of how blockchain can be used to improve overall efficiency and transparency of operations across a varied field of industries and interests. What’s more, it can be proof that blockchain has the potential to address some of the world’s worst problems.