Pharma Companies Eyeing Blockchain for Fight Against Fake Drugs

Genentech Inc., AmerisourceBergen Corp., and other major pharmaceutical companies are experimenting with using blockchains to crack down on counterfeit drugs and meet new requirements aimed at keeping them out of the supply chain.

Companies in drug supply chains could use the digital ledger technology to see and verify each product’s movement on an unchangeable, or immutable, record. Such blockchains would show each time a drug changed hands, and help companies detect tainted products before they reach the consumer, attorneys and industry leaders say.

The FDA also has launched a pilot program encouraging companies to explore new technologies, including blockchain, to ...