Blockchain could help put people at ease about sharing their data
September 2021

Throughout the pandemic, COVID19 contract tracing apps have popped up all over the world. In a recent article, ROMSOFT, a partner in the Pharmaledger project that creates custom R&D software, used the project’s personal health data use case as a good example of how privacy concerns related to systems like tracing apps might be overcome, alongside artificial intelligence and machine learning.###

PharmaLedger proposes a protocol called Open DSU, or open data sharing unit. This is a unit of data that is located off the chain, encrypted and only then directly anchored in the blockchains. This means that patients are in control of their confidential data via a digital wallet on their smartphones. Instead of managing your money, you manage the keys to your private data.

‘With a platform like PharmaLedger, any consumer app that will be built on top of it will follow the governance rules of the PharmaLedger platform, including the way data privacy is enforced,’ the article reads. ‘Enabling this type of ownership and providing information that is relevant, correct and easy to understand is essential in managing fear and increasing trust in data sharing.’

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• Read the article in full

PharmaLedger selects use cases to advance adoption of blockchain in healthcare
July 2020

The goal of IMI’s PharmaLedger project is to deliver an open source, blockchain-based platform for the healthcare sector, using the supply chain, clinical trials, and health data as case studies. Now, it has selected use cases in these areas to validate the blockchain platform architecture.###

In the supply chain area, one of PharmaLedger’s selected use cases will help to boost trust in medicines. A patient could simply scan a data matrix (QR) code on a packet of medicine to obtain (via a mobile app or website) a blockchain-anchored ‘eLeaflet’ on the medicine inside. The blockchain technology would guarantee the reliability of the information, and the solution could also be used to implement an anti-counterfeit feature where the user would be able to check product authenticity. Looking to the future, the eLeaflet could also be used to provide updates on the medicine, manage recalls, and offer advice on the safe (environmentally friendly) disposal of the drug.

In the health data field, PharmaLedger has selected a use case that will make it easier to match up patients with clinical trials (all while preserving patient privacy). In the clinical trials field, a use case on medical devices will integrate device data (‘Internet of Things’) with advanced analytics. This will support remote data capture during clinical trials, cutting down on the number of times patients would need to visit the clinic for tests.

In the health data and clinical trials fields, the project will also work on a use case that will strengthen patients’ ownership of their data, giving them greater control over who can access their health data and when, with a view to enabling a health data marketplace.

PharmaLedger plans to open up the platform for external parties to connect their own use case solutions. The platform will work in a similar way to an app store which requires a minimum standard of compliance but which is open and flexible to the needs of different use cases.

Find out more

• Read the full news story
• PharmaLedger website
• Learn about the blockchain thanks to PharmaLedger’s short video explainer