While the COVID-19 vaccines were developed and released with unprecedented speed, the distribution of doses across this and other countries has not been quite as efficient.

In an effort to smooth out the kinks and develop “smarter” COVID-19 vaccine management, IBM and Moderna have announced a partnership that will seek to tap AI, blockchain, and hybrid cloud to develop an open, standardized, technology-enabled vaccine distribution approach and improve supply chain visibility.

The broader goal of the partnership is to identify ways technology can be used to boost secure information sharing between government agencies, healthcare providers, life science organizations, and individuals. 

The companies will also aim to improve confidence in vaccine programs, boost rates of vaccination and track vaccine distribution in real-time. 

“If ever there was a time to rally around open technology and collaboration, it's now,” Jason Kelley, managing partner and global strategic alliances leader for IBM, said in the announcement.  “As governments, pharmacy chains, healthcare providers and life sciences companies continue to scale and connect their tools, and as new players enter the supply chain, open technology can help drive more transparency and bolster trust, while helping to ensure accessibility and equity in the process.” 

As part of the partnership, IBM will contribute its capability in vaccine management solutions that provide end-to-end traceability to address potential supply chain disruptions with the goal of helping government agencies and healthcare organizations identify suppliers and address COVID-19 supply chain shortages.

In addition, the company will contribute its recently released Digital Health Pass, which, built on blockchain technology, is a solution designed to help individuals maintain control of their personal health information and share it in a way that is secured, verifiable and trusted. Organizations can use the solution to verify health credentials for 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, VP, managing director of North America Commercial Operations at Moderna.  “We look forward to working with IBM to apply digital innovations to build connections between organizations, governments, and individuals to instill confidence in COVID-19 vaccines.”