Researchers identify 10 challenges for pharmaceutical supply chains
Researchers identify 10 challenges for pharmaceutical supply chains
Two independent researchers have identified 10 crucial challenges to global pharmaceutical supply chains, which need to be overcome in order to save lives in the developing world. Better coordination is still desperately needed in the global fight against disease according to the article, published in the academic journal Operations Research for Health Care.
The research was carried out by David Gonsalvez, professor of supply chain management at the MIT-Zaragova International Logistics Program, and Natalie Privett, who is the assistant professor of management and policy at the Robert F Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University. Their article, entitled “The top ten global health supply chain issues: Perspectives from the field” was compiled from interviews and surveys with 22 different global health supply chain professionals.
The 10 key challenges, compiled from these individuals' responses, were found to be as follows:
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Lack of coordination.
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Inventory management.
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Absent demand information.
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Human resource dependency.
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Order management.
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Shortage avoidance.
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Expiration.
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Warehouse management.
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Temperature control.
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Shipment visibility.
The article states that the challenges facing global health pharmaceutical delivery (GHPD) supply chains need to be urgently addressed by researchers, policy makers and practitioners alike in order to win the war against disease. The issue of coordination was particularly emphasised, with the authors insisting that "Lack of coordination in the GHPD supply chain is a root cause issue whose existence aggravates nearly every other issue director or indirectly."
