Moderna and IBM Partner on COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Chain, Distribution Data Exchange

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To paraphrase “Jaws”: we need a larger distribution. In a timely move, IBM and Moderna have just announced their collaboration to improve the COVID-19 vaccine supply chain and distribution data sharing.

On Tuesday, March 16, the line at the downtown Los Angeles location for unscheduled vaccinations was in the hundreds, long before the facility doors opened at 9 a.m. Those at the front of the line huddled in small tents and slept. pants. Even though overall coronavirus cases are declining, there have been 1,211,000 laboratory-confirmed cases in Los Angeles County and nearly 22,600 deaths.

As the most populous state in the nation, the slow rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in California was enough to rally the large number of “vampire vaccines” that were not yet eligible, waiting to receive any of the “leftover” injections, that must be used that day. Unfortunately, despite the multi-block line, the facility averages just 10 of the injections requested, according to a local nurse who schedules patients for official appointments.

The blockchain-powered IBM Digital Health Pass was implemented in a pilot program in New York State.

IBM and Moderna intend to explore technologies, including artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the hybrid cloud to potentially help support smarter management of the COVID-19 vaccine. A central element of the effort will be a pilot of open, standardized and technology-enabled vaccine delivery approaches aimed at improving supply chain visibility and fostering near-real-time tracking of vaccine delivery.

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The goal of the association is to identify ways that technology can be used to help accelerate the secure exchange of information between governments, healthcare providers, life science organizations and individuals. “Moderna and IBM seek to improve confidence in vaccine programs and increase vaccination rates, thereby reducing community spread,” stated a press release.

IBM’s capabilities in the US will be the foundation of the initial work, which includes “vaccine management solutions that provide end-to-end traceability to address potential supply chain disruptions. The solutions enable governments and vendors to healthcare providers to quickly and securely share vaccine batch data as they travel through the complex COVID-19 supply chain, from manufacturing facilities to administration sites. ”

“If ever there was a time to come together around open technology and collaboration, it is now,” said Jason Kelley, managing partner, IBM leader of global strategic alliances. “As governments, pharmacy chains, healthcare providers and life sciences companies continue to expand and connect their tools, and as new actors enter the supply chain, open technology can help drive a greater transparency and reinforcing trust, while helping to ensure accessibility and fairness in the process. “

Based on blockchain technology, the Digital Health Pass is designed for a person to control personal health information and share it, if desired, in a secure, verifiable and reliable way. Organizations can use the solution to verify the health credentials of employees, customers, and travelers based on criteria specified by the organization, such as test results, vaccination records, and temperature checks.

“Moderna is committed to working with a coalition of partners to increase education and awareness of the importance of vaccination to help defeat COVID-19,” said Michael Mullette, vice president and general manager of business operations for Moderna America. North.

At the beginning of the pandemic, IBM joined the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and other technology companies as part of the COVID-19 High-Performance Computing Consortium, a partnership to provide supercomputing resources to researchers to help accelerate the discovery and development of Vaccines for COVID-19. IBM also offered its IBM Clinical Development solution to eligible trial sponsoring organizations as part of its efforts to support the medical community to help address the pandemic. The company received interest from numerous hospitals, sponsors, contract research organizations, and academic institutions.

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