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WALLDORF, Germany — SAP and the pharmaceutical research company Boehringer Ingelheim created a smart app prototype to track, trace, and authenticate prescription medicines.
The smart app will enable law enforcement officials to potentially detect illicit, counterfeit, or unapproved Boehringer Ingelheim medicines being smuggled into the U.S. or sold illegally, according to SAP last month.
The smart app will allow U.S. law enforcement officials to scan the 2D barcode on Boehringer Ingelheim-manufactured medications and authenticate them before the medicines reach patients.
The app supports the act the U.S. Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA), enacted in 2013. The act aims to boost the FDA’s ability to protect patients by developing a connected, digital system to trace prescription drugs and identify counterfeit, stolen or contaminated medicine.
When counterfeit drugs are released into the supply chain, vulnerable patients and marginalized populations with limited access to safe, authentic, and affordable medicines “bear the brunt of the impact,” according to SAP.
The smart app technology builds on SAP’s previous efforts to eliminate counterfeit products with SAP Information Collaboration Hub for Life Sciences, a blockchain tool that allows users to authenticate pharmaceutical packaging as it moves between manufacturers and U.S. wholesalers, hospitals, and pharmacies.
See more: The Cybersecurity Market
The law enforcement app uses SAP’s scalable and secure blockchain solution for manufacturers to “drastically improve the pharmaceutical supply chain from start to finish,” said Matt Laukaitis, global GM for consumer industries, SAP.
“As this app demonstrates, vertical industry expertise is a critical success factor in delivering innovations to protect patients and ensure access to authentic, life-enhancing medicines.”
Aaron Graham, executive director of brand safety and security at Boehringer Ingelheim, said patient safety is “our top priority at our family-owned company.”
“Unverified pharmaceuticals, especially amid a global pandemic, pose a significant threat to the safety and security of both patients and health care providers,” Graham said.
“SAP’s blockchain-based solution allows our team to safeguard against illicit and unsafe medicines reaching the hands of those who need medicine the most.”
See more: The Incident Response Market
