Building The Pharma Supply Chain Of The Future

Across the pharmaceutical industry, stakeholders in the supply chain space appear to be breathing a tentative sigh of relief. Worldwide COVID-19 related disruption is at perhaps its lowest since the pandemic began, even while many of the same challenges which emerged in 2020 continue to bear down on the supply chain. Following the CBI Trade and Channel Strategies conference, Deutsche Bank analysts observed in a 15 December note that “the three large drug wholesalers [AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and the McKesson Corporation] are in as strong of a position as they have ever been in for the regular way distribution business”, a welcome remark after the logistics turmoil that has defined recent years.

Since March 2020 when the pandemic began in earnest, the pharmaceutical supply chain has been firmly in the spotlight, with...