We appreciate the opportunity to clarify and expand upon several key aspects of SecuRx. We have updated our presentation, technical architecture, video, and other documents to better reflect these critical components.

Feedback 1: Concerns about medical information on the blockchain

• Clarification on Data Storage: With SecuRx, no actual prescription data or sensitive medical information is stored on the blockchain. Instead, each prescription is represented by a non-sensitive, unique identifier derived from various properties of the prescription (e.g., doctor's name, time of creation). This identifier acts as a digital fingerprint and is securely stored off-chain.
• Use of IPFS: The unique identifier is stored on the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), a decentralized storage solution, ensuring that actual data  does not congest the Stellar network. This setup minimizes blockchain load and optimizes cost and scalability.
   

Feedback 2: Security of prescription information

• Encryption and Access Control: SecuRx uses the SHA-256 hashing algorithm to encrypt metadata from prescriptions. This process generates a 256-bit digital fingerprint from structured data strings, which is impossible to reverse-engineer, ensuring the confidentiality of the data. SHA-256’s sensitivity to input changes ensures that each prescription generates a unique hash, enhancing security.
• Blockchain’s Role: The blockchain acts as a secure ledger for verifying authenticity and updating prescription statuses via smart contracts. The system is designed to ensure no sensitive data is publicly viewable or accessible. We never call it that, but our system is based on the principles of an in-house ZKP, enabling prescription data to be authenticated without exposing actual data, thus preserving confidentiality and privacy.

Feedback 3: Concerns regarding timeline and budget

• Clarification on Team Composition: It’s important to note that our development team also includes two freelance blockchain developers. We didn't mention them because they are not part of the core team but their contributions are critical to our development efforts and help us adhere to our ambitious timelines.
• Professional Network Utilization: Our CEO is a pharmacist and his extensive medical community contacts expedite the recruitment of beta testers and the integration of software add-ons, enhancing our development and testing phases.
• Budget Realism: Our budget is carefully tailored based on internal cost analysis and resource planning, accounting for all team members, both core and freelance. This ensures sufficient funding for the project's scope without compromising quality or functionality.

These responses should address the key concerns raised, underscoring our commitment to security, privacy, and the efficient execution of SecuRx. We are dedicated to implementing a robust and secure system that respects confidentiality throughout the healthcare journey, complying with local regulations such as the GDPR in Europe, and ensuring that our project timelines and budgets are both realistic and well-justified.

I. Initial Development and Launch - June 2024 to July 2024

Focus: Develop and finalize the SecuRx platform, integrating essential and advanced features for secure and efficient management of medical prescriptions.

Total Budget Needed: $42,400 allocated for expedited development to ensure timely completion.

Product Launch: Begin by onboarding the first group of doctors and pharmacists to validate the concept of SecuRx. Concurrently, engage a select group of patients to use the system and provide feedback, ensuring that the platform meets the practical needs of all user groups and facilitates effective prescription management.

II. Post-Launch and Business Model Activation - August to September 2024

Business model implementation: Introduction of a modest transaction fee of 0.01€ per smart contract, negotiated with the authorities within the framework of “Article 51,” which allows the experimentation of innovative health organization structures by financing their estimated costs for 1 to 3 years.

Marketing initiatives: We will initiate a comprehensive post-launch marketing campaign to increase user acquisition and enhance usage among health professionals. This will be accomplished primarily through targeted advertisements in specialized press outlets such as “Le quotidien du pharmacien,” “Le quotidien du médecin,” and “Thériaque.” Additionally, we will focus on content marketing to boost our SEO and develop the landing page. Social media engagement will be geared towards local mainstream press like “Le Dauphiné.” A marketing kit will also be created for distribution in doctors' waiting rooms to directly reach potential users.

III. Expansion and Community Engagement - September to October 2024

Market penetration: Use case studies and user testimonials to expand the customer base and showcase real-world applications of SecuRx. Interviews of the health professionals who are the most enthusiastic about using SecuRx. 

Community building: Establish a dedicated community for users, providing platforms for feedback, discussions, and collaborative improvement.

Host educational webinars and workshops to increase understanding and effective use of SecuRx. Exchange with the French Chamber of Pharmacist to be in their mind and their willingness to succeed witch will help scaling toward a mature national market.

IV. Ongoing Development and Long-Term Sustainability - November 2024 and Beyond

Platform enhancement: Regularly release updates to the SecuRx platform, focusing on improving functionality, user experience, and integration capabilities.

Sustainability efforts: Continuously reinvest a portion of the revenue into further development, innovation, and contributions to the Soroban ecosystem. This includes exploring opportunities for additional funding sources, such as partnerships with health systems to sell data and consulting and venture capital to finance the expansion in other countries.

What SecuRx Is:

SecuRx is an innovative web3 platform designed to revolutionize the way healthcare providers and patients manage prescriptions. By leveraging blockchain technology, SecuRx addresses the significant challenge of prescription fraud. The platform utilizes smart contracts to establish a robust and unforgeable verification system for prescriptions. Targeting the vast market of approximately 1 billion prescriptions processed annually in France alone, SecuRx stands out by enhancing security, transparency, and efficiency in medical prescription management.

 

Problem SecuRx Solves:
 

SecuRx tackles two significant issues in the healthcare sector:

1. Prescription Fraud: In many countries, including France, the prescription process is predominantly paper-based, making it vulnerable to fraud, replication, and alterations. This results in significant financial losses—approximately €16 million annually to the French Health Insurance system—and raises serious concerns about medication errors and misuse¹. The conventional method for detecting forged prescriptions relies heavily on the subjective judgment of pharmacists, which can lead to inconsistencies in the authenticity verification of prescriptions.

2. Data Privacy Concerns in Digital Healthcare: With 86% of French citizens viewing their health data as particularly sensitive and 78% concerned about the commercial use or the risk of hacking, there is a considerable apprehension towards online personal health data security². These concerns present a significant barrier to the acceptance and implementation of digital health solutions.

Sources:

¹:https://www.economie.gouv.fr/actualites/bilan-plan-lutte-fraudes#

²:https://sante.gouv.fr/actualites/presse/communiques-de-presse/article/le-numerique-en-sante-ce-qu-en-pensent-les-francais

Solution by Audience:

• For the Medical System: SecuRx significantly reduces prescription fraud, thereby saving millions in potential losses and ensuring the integrity of the prescription process.
• For Patients: Patients are reassured by the offline storage of their data, benefiting from traceable prescription actions without revealing their contents. This feature allows them to maintain control over the use of their information.
• For Medical Professionals: The platform facilitates secure and reliable communication among healthcare providers. Doctors can track prescription fulfillment, and pharmacists can verify prescription authenticity efficiently, all while safeguarding patient data privacy.
   

Benefits of SecuRx

• Enhanced Security: Significantly reduces the risks associated with prescription fraud.
• Improved User Experience: Offers a convenient and reliable solution for managing prescriptions, benefiting both medical professionals and patients by saving time and reducing errors.
• Transparency and Trust: Utilizes smart contracts to create an immutable record of acts related to prescription, fostering trust among all parties involved in the healthcare process. 
• Ease of Use: Designed to be user-friendly for individuals at all levels of technical proficiency, ensuring widespread accessibility and adoption.

How SecuRx Works and Its Use of Soroban:

SecuRx employs a sophisticated method to ensure the security and confidentiality of prescription data using Soroban smart contracts on Stellar, emphasizing that no prescription data is stored at any point:

1. Unique Prescription Identifier Creation: When a doctor issues a prescription, instead of storing the actual prescription details, a unique identifier is generated using the SHA-256 hashing algorithm. This process utilizes data such as the doctor's name, date, time, and characteristics of the prescribed medications to produce a 256-bit digital fingerprint. Chosen for its robustness and resistance to attacks, SHA-256 ensures that the fingerprint is virtually impossible to reverse, guaranteeing that no one can retrieve the original data from the hash. This high level of security is reinforced by SHA-256’s sensitivity to minor input variations, ensuring that each prescription, even those with slight differences, generates a completely distinct and secure key.

2. Secure Upload to IPFS: The unique identifier is uploaded to a file on the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), a decentralized storage solution. Importantly, the prescription itself is never uploaded or stored; only the identifier is placed on IPFS to maintain confidentiality.
 

3. Deployment of Smart Contract: After the identifier is securely stored on IPFS, a unique smart contract is then deployed for each individual prescription on Stellar. This contract is specifically created to reference the IPFS file containing the unique identifier, establishing a secure and verifiable link to the stored data.
 

4. Pharmacy Verification Process:

• Upload and Fingerprint Extraction: When a prescription is presented at a pharmacy, the pharmacist uploads it onto the SecuRx platform. The platform's algorithm extracts the fingerprint of the prescription, which includes detecting a QR code that links to a specific smart contract on Stellar.
• Database Check for Smart Contract Reference: The SecuRx system checks its database to see if the smart contract is referenced there. If the smart contract is not found in the SecuRx database, the prescription is flagged as fraudulent.
• Verification of Identifier: If the smart contract is referenced in the database, SecuRx then checks the associated IPFS file for the identifier. The system compares this identifier with the one extracted from the prescription uploaded by the pharmacist.
• Authenticity Confirmation: If the identifier matches, the prescription is confirmed as genuine. If there is a mismatch in identifiers, the prescription is deemed fraudulent.

5. Medication Dispensing and Record Update:

• Medication Delivery: Following successful verification, the pharmacist dispenses the required medications to the patient as outlined in the prescription.
• New Identifier Generation: After dispensing, a new unique identifier is generated using a different in-house algorithm. This new identifier incorporates the previous identifier (created using the SHA-256 algorithm), adds the contact information of the dispensing pharmacy, and re-encodes it. Pharmacy information can be retrieved using the decryption key of our in-house algorithm. This is important for step 6.
• IPFS Update: This new identifier is then uploaded to a new IPFS file, maintaining a secure and decentralized record of the updated prescription status.
• Smart Contract Update: The smart contract associated with the prescription on Stellar blockchain is updated to reference this new IPFS file. This update ensures that the blockchain reflects the most current status of the prescription.

6) Future Pharmacy Visits: When a patient visits another pharmacy with a previously dispensed prescription:

• Common Practice and Verification of Prescription Usage: It is standard practice for pharmacies to stamp prescriptions with the name of the dispensing pharmacy and the names and quantities of medications dispensed. Upon receipt of such a prescription, the new pharmacist scans it to automatically verify the match between the dispensing pharmacy's name registered in the latest version of the encrypted identifier and the one on the stamp. This critical step verifies the authenticity of the prescription and determines its current status, indicating whether it has been partially or fully used.

• Dispensing the Remaining Medications: If the stamp aligns with the encrypted identifier and the prescription is partially used, the pharmacist dispenses the remaining medications as indicated. In cases of discrepancies or missing details about previously dispensed quantities, the pharmacist reaches out to the previous pharmacy using the contact details encoded in the identifier to confirm the dispensing history. This step is crucial to ensure that the patient receives the correct remaining medications without duplication. Each time medications are dispensed, the smart contract is updated to reference a new IPFS file with a newly generated identifier, which includes the encoded name of the last dispensing pharmacy. This cycle continues until the prescription is fully dispensed.

• Fraud Detection and Prevention: Any discrepancy between the prescription stamp and the encrypted identifier, or the presentation of a prescription without a stamp (suggesting it might be lost or a fraud attempt), triggers a fraud alert. The pharmacist is then required to verify the dispensing history by contacting the previous pharmacy using the encoded contact details. Moreover, if a prescription marked as fully used is presented again, it is flagged as potential fraud, leading to further verification or refusal to dispense.

This last step effectively combines blockchain technology (registry of prescription history and updates) with physical data (stamps on prescriptions and historical records kept by pharmacies) to ensure integrity and security in prescription management.

It's a process that may seem complex to those unfamiliar with the medical world. This diagram summarizes it in much simpler terms, from the creation of the prescription to its complete dispensing: HERE

Conclusion:

SecuRx stands as a revolutionary solution in the healthcare sector, addressing critical challenges associated with prescription management and fraud. By integrating cutting-edge web3 technology with the healthcare industry's needs, SecuRx not only enhances the security and efficiency of the prescription process but also significantly improves the overall prescription-related act experience, setting a new standard for digital health innovation. Additionally, SecuRx prioritizes patient privacy by ensuring that health data remains offline, providing traceable interactions without exposing sensitive information, thereby reinforcing the control and trust patients have over their personal health information.

1) Smart Contract Framework Development for SecuRx

• Description: Develop a comprehensive smart contract framework on Stellar. This includes handling prescription creation, updates, and secure linking with IPFS to manage the unique prescription identifiers. The framework will support real-time prescription verification and updating mechanisms.
• Completion Measurement: A fully developed, tested, and documented smart contract framework, ready for deployment.
• Estimated Completion Date: June 21, 2024
• Budget: $20,000
   

2) Front-End Development of SecuRx Platform for Healthcare Professionals

• Description: Design and develop the front-end of the SecuRx platform specifically for healthcare professionals, including doctors and pharmacists. This interface will support the comprehensive management of prescriptions and include features for scanning prescriptions, extracting digital fingerprints, and verifying authenticity via QR codes that interact with smart contracts.
• Completion Measurement: A fully functional and tested front-end platform that provides a seamless, secure, and intuitive user experience for managing and verifying prescriptions.
• Estimated Completion Date: July 5, 2024
• Budget: $7,500
   

3) Integration of Front-End Platform with Blockchain Backend

• Description: Implement and test the integration of the front-end platform with the blockchain backend, ensuring seamless interaction between the user interface and the smart contracts. This milestone focuses on connecting the front-end features (prescription scanning, data extraction, etc) with the backend smart contract functionalities to manage prescription data flow and updates securely.
• Completion Measurement: Successful integration and functional testing of the front-end with the smart contracts, demonstrating reliable data transmission, error handling, and user interactions across the system.
• Estimated Completion Date: July 19, 2024
• Budget: $12,000
   

4) Medical Partner Beta Launch, Testing, and User Feedback Integration

• Description: Conduct a beta launch of SecuRx with partner healthcare providers to test the system comprehensively in real-world environments. This phase will gather feedback from users, including doctors, pharmacists, and administrative staff, to refine functionalities and address any issues.
• Completion Measurement: Successful deployment and operational testing of the beta version, comprehensive collection and analysis of user feedback, and integration of necessary improvements into the platform.
• Estimated Completion Date: August 2, 2024.
• Budget: $2,900

Core members:

1- Sébastien Rodillon

As a pharmacist, Sébastien complemented his academic journey with a Student Entrepreneur Diploma and a Master's in Entrepreneurship from CentraleSupélec and ESSEC. Previously, he spent two years developing his first company, AppHop.

LinkedIn

2- Thibault Launay
After an applied Math and computer science degree and a Master in Innovation management, he worked for 2 early stage startups, making the whole software architecture from scratch and making it durable for a following team to hand over the reins. Through his experiences he developed skills in data analysis and now he’s enthusiastic to develop his next project on the blockchain.

LinkedIn

We also work with 2 freelance blockchain developers, bringing our team of developers to 3.
 

As a team:

Together, we have won several entrepreneurial awards for our last project on the digitalization of local pharmaceutical services in hospitals, such as:

- Pépite National 2022 Award 

- CentraleSupélec Entrepreneurship Scholarship

- ESSEC Responsible Entrepreneurship Scholarship 

- Grenoble Rotary Club Entrepreneurial Trophy

- Rothschild&Co4Generation “Coup de coeur” Award

- Moovjee “100 days” Award 

Today, Sébastien and Thibault aim to make the healthcare system safer and smoother through their projects.