CURRENT PRACTICES FOR MEDICINE AUTHENTICATION AND TRACEABILITY IN COMMUNITY PHARMACIES IN BAYELSA STATE, NIGERIA: IMPLICATIONS FOR BLOCKCHAIN-BASED COUNTERFEIT PREVENTION

Background: Community pharmacies serve as the final checkpoint in pharmaceutical supply chains and the most accessible point of medicine access for populations in resource-constrained settings. However, the authentication and traceability practices employed at this critical junction remain poorly characterised, particularly in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria where geographical challenges compound supply chain vulnerabilities. Objective: This study investigated the current practices used by community pharmacies for medicine authentication and traceability in Bayelsa State, Nigeria, and assessed their implications for blockchain-based counterfeit prevention. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 119 superintendent pharmacists using a structured electronic questionnaire. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests in IBM SPSS v26.0. Results: Authentication practices were overwhelmingly manual: 77.3% relied on visual inspection of NAFDAC registration numbers, 13.4% used physical inspection of packaging, and only 9.2% employed digital scanning. Inventory tracking was paper-based (55.5%) or non-existent (35.3%), with merely 9.2% using cloud-based systems. Critically, 68.9% of pharmacists encountered suspected counterfeit medicines in the preceding 12 months. A statistically significant association was found between inventory system type and counterfeit detection capability (Chi-square = 13.21, p = 0.001). Conclusion: Community pharmacies in Bayelsa State operate within a predominantly analogue authentication environment that is fundamentally misaligned with the requirements of blockchain-based traceability. Over 90% lack the basic digital infrastructure prerequisite for blockchain participation. The significant association between digital systems and counterfeit detection capability provides empirical justification for prioritising digitisation as a foundational step toward blockchain implementation.