Designing a Blockchain-Based System for Tracking Rare and Specialty Drugs in Iran’s Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

Abstract

The management of treatment for rare diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy within Iran’s pharmaceutical supply chain is accompanied by significant challenges, including extremely high costs, lack of transparency in distribution, and the occurrence of drug leakage into the black market. These issues have led to reduced access for genuine patients to vital medications. In this study, a blockchain-based system has been designed and implemented with the aim of improving traceability, transparency, and auditability within the supply chain of rare and special medicines.  The system has been developed using the Ethereum network and the Solidity programming language, and implemented through the Remix environment for the development and testing of smart contracts. In the system design, multiple roles have been considered, including importers, distribution centers, pharmacies/clinics, certified physicians, and patients. Based on a review of scientific literature, theses, reported projects, and existing national systems, no platform with this level of blockchain integration, traceability of rare medicines, and recording of treatment processes has been reported in Iran to date. The results of the implementation and technical evaluation indicate that the proposed system is capable of enabling precise drug traceability, establishing a transparent and auditable infrastructure, and potentially reducing violations within the distribution chain. Evaluations conducted in a test environment demonstrate that the proposed design, in terms of architecture and data-recording logic, provides a higher level of structural transparency and accountability compared to traditional processes. Given the immutability of data, end-to-end traceability, and the elimination of informational blind spots, the proposed system can, from a design perspective, contribute to reducing misconduct in the pharmaceutical distribution chain. This approach represents a practical step toward preventing the diversion of pharmaceutical resources within the country.