Blockchain Technology and Vaccine Supply Chain : Exploration and Analysis of the Adoption Barriers in the Indian Context

The vaccine distribution system, being a bio-pharmaceutical cold chain, is a complicated and sensitive system that must be effectively managed and maintained due to its direct impact on public health. However, vaccine supply chains continue to be affected by concerns including vaccine expiry, inclusion of counterfeit vaccines, and vaccine record fraud. But blockchain technology integrated with IoT can create a solution for global vaccine distributions with improved trust, transparency, traceability, and data management, which will help monitor the cold chain, tackle counterfeit drugs, surveillance, and waste management. Several theoretical models for vaccine management with blockchain have been published recently, and a few pilot studies for COVID-19 vaccine management with blockchain have been started in India. Still, full-scale adoption of blockchain technology in vaccine distribution and management has yet to be achieved. Before blockchain can be incorporated into the vaccination supply chain system, the barriers to widespread adoption must be addressed. This study explores the barriers utilizing extant literature and inputs from academics, immunization, and blockchain experts and then analyzed using the Delphi and Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) technique. The finding shows that lack of data standardization is the most prominent barrier, and the requirement of large-scale IoT infrastructure and lack of government policy and regulations are the most impactful barriers influencing others. The theoretical contribution of this study lies in the identification and analysis of barriers that should be addressed to achieve blockchain technology adoption in the vaccine supply chain