Structural Analysis of Barriers to Blockchain Adoption in the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain: An Integrated Fuzzy Delphi, Interpretive Structural Modeling, and MICMAC Approach

Document Type : Research/ Original/ Regular Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of management, Na.C., Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran.

2 PhD Student in Business Management, Department of management, Se.C., Islamic Azad University, Semnan, Iran.

3 Master of Business Administration, Department of management, Na.C., Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran.

Abstract

With the expansion of digital approaches in the pharmaceutical industry, blockchain technology has gained increasing attention as an innovative tool for enhancing transparency, traceability, and data security across pharmaceutical supply chains. Despite these potential benefits, effective blockchain implementation requires coordinated interaction among regulatory institutions, supply chain actors, and technological infrastructures, and in practice faces a set of interrelated technical, organizational, financial, and regulatory barriers whose underlying causal structure must be clearly understood. This study aims to identify and structurally analyze the key barriers to blockchain implementation in Iran’s pharmaceutical supply chain. In the first phase, a systematic literature review combined with the Fuzzy Delphi method was employed to identify ten validated barriers. In the second phase, the hierarchical and causal relationships among these barriers were examined using Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM). In the third phase, MICMAC analysis was applied to assess the driving power and dependence of the identified variables. The findings indicate that inadequate technical infrastructure and technological complexity emerge as root and independent barriers exerting the strongest influence on other obstacles, whereas lack of top management support and employee resistance to change appear as dependent barriers located at higher levels of the structural model. Accordingly, this study proposes strategies such as developing pharmaceutical-specific digital infrastructure, enhancing technical competencies of the workforce, strengthening managerial commitment, and establishing national blockchain standards tailored to the pharmaceutical sector. By presenting a structured and context-specific analytical framework, this research provides practical insights for policymakers and industry decision-makers seeking to advance sustainable, blockchain-based digital transformation in pharmaceutical supply chains.

Keywords

Main Subjects

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References

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Supply Chain Management
Volume 28, Issue 90 - Serial Number 90
Serial number 90. Spring 2026
June 2026
Pages 1-20

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History

  • Receive Date: 13 November 2025
  • Revise Date: 20 December 2025
  • Accept Date: 01 June 2026
  • Publish Date: 15 June 2026

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