REVOLUTIONISING PHARMA SUPPLY CHAINS: ADVANCED SOLUTIONS FOR SAFE AND SECURE TRANSIT

Pharmaceutical supply chains are crucial for delivering life-saving medications globally. Challenges like globalisation, temperature control, and theft necessitate innovative solutions. The article explores advanced technologies transforming pharma logistics, ensuring safe, secure, and efficient transit.

- Sriram Nagaswamy

With a projected global value of $1,156 billion in 2024, the pharmaceutical is responsible industry manufacturing for and distributing However, vaccines and life-saving drugs to individuals worldwide behind the scenes, pharmaceutical supply chains are often comprised of complex networks that handle interconnected processes to ensure that medicines reach numerous stakeholders like healthcare providers, distributors, patients and pharmacies on time and without any damage. The past two decades have witnessed the industry undergo increased globalisation that added even more complexity to supply chains, making communication among stakeholders and distribution more challenging.

The significance of the items in transit, both in monetary terms and in its potential to save lives, underscores the critical nature of the medical supply chain, which demands precision. For instance, several reports according to the CDC reveal that during the global COVID pandemic, 20 per cent of COVID vaccines were lost due to issues in cold-chain storage.

It was also during the same time that hospitals and pharmacies had to preserve vaccinations in sub-freezing temperatures until the patient was administered, and several experts noted that the pandemic had increased the number of medical commodities requiring cold / ultra-cold storage, affecting the workflows and design of the system itself. Additionally, the World Health Organisation (WHO) also released a report highlighting that nearly 50 per cent of vaccines were wasted worldwide owing to issues in temperature control during transit.