Tjoapack, a contract packager, and Veratrak, a UK-based technology company,  have launched the European Platform on Changing Healthcare (EPOCH) as part of their ongoing partnership aimed at improving pharmaceutical supply chain operations.

EPOCH is a virtual platform designed to allow the healthcare industry to research and explore new technologies that will help to shape the future of the pharmaceutical supply chain and improve patient care. The platform will also produce original research intended to guide the application of new technologies within member supply chains.

The new platform will focus on a different theme every six months. The first theme will be blockchain, in line with the project Tjoapack and Veratrak are currently working on to secure and optimize the data sharing processes involved in setting up stock keeping units (SKUs) ready for packaging.

Dr. Anita Paz, Innovation Consultant, Tjoapack said, “We’re delighted to announce the launch of EPOCH. The platform will provide a collaborative environment for all its members and sponsors to facilitate the development of new ideas that will benefit the pharmaceutical supply chain. Beyond this, it will act as a communication tool to help proactively roll out these new ideas and provide an educational platform offering insight into new developments across the supply chain and how these can be best implemented. It’s an exciting project to be part of.”

Jason Lacombe, chief executive officer, Veratrak said, “The EPOCH platform is the latest initiative to come out of our ongoing collaboration with Tjoapack. We’re committed to involving as many people as possible from the pharmaceutical supply chain in future projects so that we can pool our knowledge and resource for the benefit of the industry and ultimately the patients it serves.”