– and ongoing post-pandemic supply shocks – pharma companies are moving away from globalisation , and towards regional hubs , which help deliver greater levels of flexibility and resilience .
The changing face of pharma supply chain is explored at length by EY , in its paper , Pharma Supply Chains of the Future , one of whose co-authors is Olaf Zweig , a Life Sciences Partner at EY-Parthenon , EY ’ s global strategy consulting arm .
Zweig says that , regardless of market conditions , those connected to pharma supply chains – whether it ’ s supply chain managers , policymakers or vendors – must never lose sight of the ultimate goal : to give patients access to the right drug at the right time .
With this overarching principle in place , Zweig adds that pharma firms looking to regionalise supply must understand that any such strategy will involve costs and benefits , and that the challenge is “ to find the optimal balance in each regional context ”.
Local inventory strategy He adds : “ While the industry can expect to see some moves toward localisation , these moves are likely to be combined with other new approaches .
“ The practical implications of localisation depend on what steps of the supply chain
48 July 2023