When pharma firm Sanofi needed end-to-end clinical supply chain visibility it turned to logistics specialist Marken
SANOFI & MARKEN
When pharma firm Sanofi needed end-to-end clinical supply chain visibility it turned to logistics specialist Marken
Pharmaceutical supply chains take supply chain complexity to another level . Supply chain can be a complicated industry at the best of times . There are so many moving parts , all of which can , and have , been impacted over recent years by a conveyor belt of problems , including the pandemic , the Suez blockage , war in Ukraine , labour issues and inflation .
As well as the usual litany of supply challenges , pharma has distinct requirements on the handling of materials , while also facing the perils of product recalls and compliance issues ; the field of medicine is just about the most regulated sector there is .
Then there ’ s also the added pressure of how serious any delays might prove , because the supply chain is critical for ensuring patients in clinical trials have access to the medicines they need to maintain their health , or even to keep them alive .
There are different forms of pharma supply chains . The most common is the so-called small molecule pharma supply chain . This involves time sensitive and temperature controlled chemical-based drugs , that typically begin with the sourcing of raw materials – the active pharmaceutical ingredients – that are used to manufacture medicines . The manufacturing process alone involves several stages : formulation , quality control , packaging , and labelling .
104 July 2023