The Northern Ireland-headquartered contract manufacturing organization (CMO), Almac, recently announced its participation in the Global Clinical Supply Blockchain Working Group (GCSBWG).
Led by Pfizers and Biogen, the group is a collaboration between companies aiming to explore the applicability of blockchain technology in the industry.
Blockchain technology “is new to everyone, including Almac,” a spokesperson for the company told us.
The group is an opportunity for key contributors from all stages of the clinical supply chain – academia, clinical sites, pharma companies, and suppliers – to “combine first hand experience and ensure that the most relevant blockchain use cases possible are being prioritized and explored,” the spokesperson added.
Asked about Almac’s contribution to the group, the spokesperson noted that the company’s “critical role in orchestrating clinical trials across the globe” provides it with “a unique perspective that we’re proud to contribute to the ongoing use case discussion.”
Andrew Hillis, VP and group head of information services at Almac, commented: “The rapid adoption of blockchain technology, coupled with its clear applicability to the clinical supply chain, make this project extremely timely and relevant to meeting the future challenges of our industry.”
To date, the working group has designed KitChain, a proof-of-concept iOS-based software application to enhance communication among clinical supply chain participants.
The ultimate aim of the group, according to Almac, would be to create a messaging and notification platform able to support the performance requirements of the whole clinical supply chain.
Further activity of the group to date is included in a whitepaper entitled “Transforming Pharmaceutical Clinical Supply Messaging with BlockChain,” which was published after the completion of the group’s Phase I operations.
