World Economic Forum muses on blockchain for ‘unique’ Covid-19 vaccine distribution challenge

The past couple of weeks have seen plenty of good news in the shape of a potential Covid-19 vaccine, from Pfizer, to Moderna, to Oxford/AstraZeneca. But efficacy updates are only the first hurdle to clear. Production, distribution and rollout - particularly noting the first two and its requirement for cold storage - remain key issues.

The World Economic Forum's (WEF) blockchain division has previously explored how distributed ledger technology could be key to an 'equitable'...

24 November 2020 | Healthcare

The role blockchain can play in the increasing world of telemedicine

The industry of virtual health appointments, otherwise known as telemedicine, is booming as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the beginning of the pandemic in the UK, GP surgeries urged patients not to come into their practice to prevent the potential spread of the virus and health secretary Matt Hancock advised that consultations should be done by telemedicine where possible.

Since then, there’s been a dramatic increase in the use of telemedicine, with a survey by the Royal...

12 November 2020 | Healthcare

PwC: Blockchain technologies could boost global economy to tune of $1.7 trillion by 2030

A new analysis from PwC estimates blockchain technologies could spark a $1.7 trillion boost in the global economy by 2030 - with the UK set to benefit to the tune of £57 billion ($72bn).

The findings come from a report which is part of a series exploring the economic impact and use cases for emerging technologies. PwC said its analysis 'showed the potential for blockchain to support organisations in how they rebuild and reconfigure their operations', particularly in the...

13 October 2020 | Banking

Tech Mahindra to run healthcare, aerospace, telecom offerings on Amazon’s managed blockchain

Technology and IT services provider Tech Mahindra is teaming up with Amazon Web Services (AWS) for blockchain offerings in aerospace, telecoms, and healthcare.

The Indian company, which is an AWS Partner Network (APN) advanced consulting partner, will offer three primary solutions through the AWS Marketplace. There will be a kit management tool for aviation and aerospace, ensuring an effective track and trace process from multi-tier suppliers; a solution for OEMs in telecoms for...

8 September 2020 | Enterprise

Health n Go Covid-19 blockchain certificate trial described as ‘encouraging’

Health n Go, a blockchain-based secure health certificate built on the TIXnGO platform, has reported 'encouraging' results of a Covid-19-focused trial in Switzerland.

The pilot, which took place in early July, saw Health n Go partner with Medisupport, a laboratory network in Switzerland, as well as railway equipment manufacturer Matisa. Matisa was chosen as the test case as the company's technicians frequently travel overseas for work, the company noted.

Each user - a...

3 September 2020 | Applications

Blockchain-focused venture firm Electric Capital raises $110m in seed and series A fund

Electric Capital, an early stage venture firm which focuses on cryptocurrencies, blockchain and fintech, has secured a $110 million (£84.1m) seed and series A fund, focused on cryptonetworks and blockchain-enabled businesses.

The company, whose bets include Coinlist, CryptoKitties and Oasis Labs among others, said the capital raised - its second fund - will go into five specific areas. These are decentralised finance (DeFi), particularly around insurance and credit scoring;...

5 August 2020 | Applications

Chronicled partners with Deloitte for blockchain in life sciences and healthcare

Chronicled, a US-based provider of blockchain platforms for smart supply chains, has announced a partnership with Deloitte to bring blockchain-based solutions to life sciences and healthcare.

The companies will come together to utilise technology and solutions powered by Chronicled's MediLedger network.

Among the use cases to be trialled included a solution to help fight fraud for potential Covid-19 medication. MediLedger's product verification offering can 'enable...

23 July 2020 | Applications

WEF article explores how blockchain could be key to ‘equitable’ Covid-19 vaccine distribution

Blockchain will be an 'essential' and 'integral' tool in distributing a potential Covid-19 vaccine, according to an article published by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

In a note published by Punit Shukla and Amey Raiput, WEF project lead and fellow for blockchain and digital assets, alongside Sid Chakravarthy, CEO at supply chain technology provider StaTwig, success in global distribution will require leveraging tools and capabilities such as blockchain in a way 'never seen...

20 July 2020 | Funding

EU health blockchain consortium PharmaLedger reveals first use cases

PharmaLedger, a European Union-centric healthcare blockchain consortium, has announced its first eight use cases.

Representatives of the 29 entities in the consortium achieved what PharmaLedger described as the 'first major milestone on [a] three-year collaboration journey to deliver a common and widely trusted blockchain-based platform and use case reference implementations for supply chain, clinical trials and health data.'

Among the use cases which are being explored...

30 June 2020 | Applications

Blockchain can be key to immunity passport success – but science must dictate rollout

The COVID-19 pandemic has ignited a reassessment of the role that technology can play in tackling health crises, as well as citizens’ right to privacy. This is particularly the case in the ongoing development of contact tracing apps, which have been heralded as the ticket out of the pandemic.

Another tool that has been suggested as one way of bringing the crisis under control – and has gained more and more attention over the last few weeks – are so-called ‘digital immunity...

29 May 2020 | Healthcare