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1rem

 interview, Rob Sobie, chief product officer of Intelliguard, a provider of hospital medication management and data intelligence solutions, discusses:

The key challenges that hospitals are currently facing

Why he believes that the drug supply chain is failing

Successes surrounding the implementation of RFID technology

A high-level overview of the Drug Supply Chain Security Act, along with his thoughts on the latest exemptions that were recently announced by the FDA

Rob Sobie outlines the importance of supply chain transparency for the benefit of patients.  

The Impact of RFID: Enhancing Medication Management

 interview, Chris Williams, International Managing Director of Alloga Europe and ICS, discusses:

What’s needed to support advanced therapy medicinal products from a temperature standpoint

The current state of third-party logistics (3PLs) in Europe and what areas need to improve

How expectations of pharma companies have changed in terms of what they expect a 3PL partner to provide

How Alloga’s new facilities in Spain and the Netherlands fit within the company’s strategy

What he believes 3PLs can do to support supply chains more efficiently

Chris Williams expands on the services that a third-party logistics (3PL) partner should offer, while sharing ways to alleviate standard supply chain issues.

The Capabilities of a 3PL Provider

 interview, Peter Ax, founder and CEO of UpScriptHealth, a direct-to-consumer telehealth company, describes:

Why he believes ongoing and active drug shortages are the highest they’ve been since ASHP began tracking this in 2001

The current landscape of shortages in general

How drug shortages directly affect patients

What is needed to alleviate these issues surrounding the supply chain

Peter Ax provides insight as to industry’s lack of supply, along with how to mitigate these issues. 

Addressing the Drug Shortage Crisis

 interview, Chip Davis, president and CEO of the Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA), a national organization that represents primary pharmaceutical distributors, discusses:

The benefits of the Distribution Management Conference, and the value it provides for the industry

, including a look at how the challenges presented to distributors now differ, and how they are being addressed

Progress that has been made toward full connectivity since the FDA announced a “stabilization period” to finalize implementation of the DSCSA before November 2024, along with some of the most significant issues for trading partners

Some of the root causes of drug shortages, and how distributors are work to mitigate them

Key initiatives and plans that the HDA is focused on for the second half of 2024, and how these will shape the future of the pharmaceutical supply chain.

Chip Davis recaps the organization’s Distribution Management Conference and addresses distributors’ preparedness for DSCSA implementation. 

Overcoming Supply Chain Challenges

 interview, Allen Jacques, a life sciences industry thought leader at Kinaxis, dives into:

What he sees as limitations of current government efforts when it comes to boosting domestic production of essential medicines, and why they aren’t sufficient

The challenges that generic drug manufacturers are facing today

Why more resilient and transparent supply chains are necessary in the pharmaceutical industry, and how these can help mitigate shortage issues

Allen Jacques explains the history behind medications’ lack of supply, while offering ways to help alleviate their impact. 

Mitigating Drug Shortages

 interview, Brandon Newman, Xevant’s CEO and founder, explores:

The implications of the Inflation Reduction Act’s price negotiation provisions, and how these could result in ripple effects across the healthcare system

The role that pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and other intermediaries' play when it comes to determining drug costs, and how spread pricing is involved

How Xevant helps improve drug cost transparency efforts

Strategies for affordability Newman would offer the pharma industry that can be implemented immediately

Brandon Newman joins The Pharmaceutical Commerce Podcast to discuss the evolving role of PBMs, including the importance of drug price transparency. 

A Further Examination of Pharmacy Benefit Managers

 interview, Rob Besse, Archbow Consulting’s VP of distribution services, shares:

A general overview of how the 3PL process works, using his 20-plus of pharma supply chain experience as added insight

The factors that manufacturers should consider when selecting a 3PL, along with the array of services that a quality 3PL should provide

Valuable lessons he believes 3PLs learned during the COVID-19 pandemic that have helped improve efficiencies

Trends affecting the pharma industry that 3PLs be on the lookout for the rest of the year

Podcast is available directly on SoundCloud.

Rob Besse offers a breakdown of the third-party logistics (3PL) process, including lessons that these providers have learned coming out of the pandemic.  

A First-Hand Account of 3PLs

The collaboration is centered on standardization and the promotion of safety data sharing when it comes to ground handling. 

IATA and ASA Boost Partnership

The 50,000 square-foot plant is expected to augment the compounding and fulfillment experience for telehealth companies. 

Strive Compounding Pharmacy Eyes Expansion, Purchases St. Louis Facility

The 13,400 square-foot Belgium site will expand the company’s branded standardized bioprocessing, cryopreservation, and distribution solution for the cell therapy market, with a focus on leukapheresis starting materials.

Cryoport Opens New CoE in Europe

In the quest for achieving full traceability, the exemption applies to certain trading partners under the Act, and postpones enforcement of final compliance requirements while acknowledging progress and ongoing challenges.

Understanding the FDA's Exemption for DSCSA Compliance

The conference returns to Lyon, France and promises a timely and relevant agenda that attendees will resonate with. 

LogiPharma Europe to Celebrate 25 Years 

Properly Preparing for Supply Chain Disruptions 

, Gaurav Gupta, managing director and head of R&D at

Kotter, discusses the regulatory pressures and rising R&D costs impacting the pharmaceutical industry as it looks toward 2025. Gupta highlighted that many regulatory challenges, such as drug pricing pressures from the Inflation Reduction Act, will persist in the coming years. Additionally, he pointed out the growing integration of real-world evidence into clinical trials and the need for regulators to keep pace with emerging technologies like AI. Gupta believes that these trends will continue to shape the industry without major new disruptions expected in the short term.

He also comments on the steps pharmaceutical leaders should take to better prepare their teams and organizations for supply chain disruptions; specific technical and "soft" skills that will be critical for pharmaceutical leaders and frontline employees to thrive in the evolving industry landscape, and how this can help when it comes to proactivity in handling talent shortages.

A transcript of Gupta’s conversation with

With increasing uncertainty on the horizon, what steps should pharmaceutical leaders take in order to better prepare their teams and organizations for supply chain disruptions?

Viewing supply chain primarily through the lens of efficiency and cost reduction has shifted, where there’s a recognition that we've got to be more flexible with supply chain, we've got to be more adaptable. How we're setting up our supply chains is very much being felt. I think you're just spot on that that's an area of focus, and there are a few things for leaders to be thinking about.

One is just getting folks to appreciate that. That's the first step. We've got to think about our supply chain with flexibility in mind. How do we create more flexible supply chains? Because we don't know what the next disruption might be. We do know that there probably will be a disruption, we just don't know exactly what it's going to look like. I think getting closer to the frontline and making sure decisions are happening closer to the frontline, so that you can move faster. You can shift faster when you start to see things changing, whether that's on the policy front or regarding logistic disruptions.

I think the other part is just thinking through scenarios, doing a little bit of scenario planning around the fact that we can't identify all of the disruptions, but we can certainly think through what some of them might be. What happens if you know some of the conversation around tariffs come into play? What does that mean for our supply chain? What happens if we have, disruption in shipping lanes? Thinking through what your responses might be ahead of time, so that you can be more flexible and adaptable, and doing a little bit of that scenario planning ahead of time [is essential]. If those disruptions were come to pass, you kind of have a have an idea of where you want to go.

In the second part of his video interview with Pharma Commerce Editor Nicholas Saraceno, Gaurav Gupta, managing director and head of R&D at Kotter, outlines the steps that pharma leaders should keep in mind to when combatting supply chain issues.

Peer Exchange: An Overview of RFID Within the Pharmaceutical Industry (Episode 1)

 roundtable discussion, Nicholas Saraceno, editor of 

 and the peer exchange’s moderator, alongside a panel of experts, discussed the role of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. RFID is a technology that utilizes radio waves to automatically collect and transfer data, providing efficient tracking and tracing of products. This discussion covers the potential and challenges of RFID in the industry.

The panel consisted of Matt Campasano, Managing Director, Criterion Consulting; Sean O’Hearen; Founder & Principal Consultant, 1st Line Partners; Tim Marsh, Founder & Head of Strategy, MDB; and Bahar Aliakbarian, PhD, Associate Professor, Sr. Director of R&D, Axia Institute (at Michigan State University).

Each expert brought unique perspectives on RFID’s applications, including brand protection, traceability, and supply chain efficiency.

Campasano highlighted RFID’s value in pharmaceutical traceability, particularly in relation to the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA). RFID offers significant operational efficiencies in warehousing, as it eliminates the need for line-of-sight scanning and speeds up product verification, saving both time and resources.

The discussion also explored the fluctuating adoption of RFID over the past two decades. Marsh provided historical context, explaining that while RFID technology showed promise for improving supply chain operations and patient safety, it faced challenges, particularly in the early 2000s. High costs and reliability issues led to disillusionment, with many RFID installations being dismantled. Furthermore, the lack of widespread adoption of RFID by wholesalers, who required the majority of products to be tagged for it to be effective, hampered progress.

Today, RFID is making a gradual comeback in the pharmaceutical industry, primarily driven by regulatory compliance needs and the growing need for improved product traceability. However, its widespread adoption remains limited by cost concerns and the lack of clear, immediate value for all stakeholders.

In the first part of this roundtable discussion, a panel of subject matter experts introduce themselves, while discussing why the pharma supply chain sees value in this technology and why its use has fluctuated over the past decade.

Why Blockchain is Key to Enhancing Supply Chain Integrity

managing director, global operations & supply chain practice at UST, discussed how the East and Gulf Coast port strikes highlighted the contrasting dynamics between branded and generic pharmaceuticals. Branded drugs, which offer higher profit margins, are produced at limited manufacturing sites, creating potential vulnerabilities. In contrast, generics have multiple supply sources but operate with tighter margins, leading to less robust business controls and raising concerns about safety. This disparity underscores the complex challenges faced by both sectors in the pharmaceutical industry. Colehower also spoke on the valuable in pharma supply chain transparency and visibility.

A transcript of Colehower’s conversation with

Why is building a chain of custody within the life sciences industry so valuable?

 I guess the one thing that I've been advocating for in the pharma supply chain and life sciences altogether is about building that immutable chain of custody using blockchain. I think it's just a matter of time before we see that in more and more supply chains within the life sciences. It goes back to that brand versus generic [scenario]—who's got the money, who's going to pay for this—but it's going to become either a matter of product supply or product safety that's going to mandate that ability to have an immutable chain of custody.

In the final part of his video interview with Pharma Commerce Editor Nicholas Saraceno, Jonathan Colehower, managing director, global operations & supply chain practice at UST, explains how the use of blockchain technology will become more prominent moving forward.

Building Supply Chain Visibility

What have you noticed when it comes to supply chain stakeholders making efforts to build greater visibility?

 We're seeing a lot of efforts to build visibility. The more I can see into my supply chain, the more I should be able to correct and control. We're seeing a lot of efforts for supply chain actors. Whether they're a wholesaler, a distributor, a provider—they want to have that level of visibility, and they're building networks to get that and to see that.

In the second part of his video interview with Pharma Commerce Editor Nicholas Saraceno, Jonathan Colehower, managing director, global operations & supply chain practice at UST, offers his observations as to how stakeholders are building out their networks.  

Analyzing Branded and Generic Pharmaceuticals

How did the East and Gulf Coast port strikes bring to light the differences between branded and generic pharmaceuticals?

I think it’s a fascinating space because of the differences, and when I say the differences, there are a couple things that I'm talking about. One is just the difference between brand and generic pharmaceuticals. It's feast or famine. The brands have lots of margin that they can throw at the problem, but at the same time, they're so proprietary, it's restricted, so you may only have one manufacturing operation that's producing that brand. That's a point of failure that has to be managed.

On the other hand, there’re the generics, where you may have lots of sources of supply, but they don't have the margin. Because they don't have the margin, they don't have some of the same business controls that in other cases might be a luxury, so you then start worrying about things like safety.

In the first part of his video interview with Pharma Commerce Editor Nicholas Saraceno, Jonathan Colehower, managing director, global operations & supply chain practice at UST, describes how events such as the East and Gulf Coast port strikes have brought to light the differences between branded and generic pharmaceuticals. 

The Future of Temperature-Controlled Technology

, Delphine Perridy, chief commercial officer, Envirotainer, noted that the pharmaceutical industry is undergoing significant evolution driven by unmet patient needs, rapid scientific advancements, and the emergence of new technologies. Innovations such as gene therapies, precision medicines, and advancements in obesity treatment with GLP-1s exemplify this shift. Additionally, the integration of artificial intelligence in drug discovery is streamlining research and development processes, lowering costs, and accelerating time to market. As a result, pharmaceutical companies must adapt their business models to ensure that newly approved drugs reach patients worldwide more efficiently. Perridy also shared why ultra-precise temperature control and customized logistics solutions are so critical when it comes to biologics and personalized medicine; why has the demand for sustainable practices has risen exponentially; Where she believes the pharma cold chain is heading in the next few years in terms of technological breakthroughs and market dynamic shifts.

A transcript of Perridy’s conversation with

Where do you believe the pharma cold chain is heading in the next few years in terms of technological breakthroughs and market dynamic shifts?

 We're going to continue to see an increase in personalized medicine, cell & gene therapies, and much more complex treatments that are going to require strict requirements when it comes to cold chain solutions. That's clearly the first shift that I think we're going to continue seeing.

The second one will be the use of AI more and more in the industry. I think that we're going to be able to use artificial intelligence to do much more analysis in terms of trade lane analysis or risk management overall. I think that the second shift that we're going to see coming over the next couple of years is sustainability—it’s going to remain a topic that is not going anywhere. I think it's an important topic for the society. We can expect to get much more pressure when it comes to sustainability—it's going to be very important for us to really design packaging solutions that can be more sustainable moving forward.

The last one is the geopolitics risk; it’s also something that is probably meant to continue. I think it's very important that we work with our partners to come up with very strong logistics strategies so that we can keep pharma moving, regardless of the challenges that we are facing. We need to build resilient networks so that we can adapt quickly and continue shipping medicines wherever they need to be shipped.

In the final part of her video interview with Pharma Commerce Editor Nicholas Saraceno, Delphine Perridy, chief commercial officer, Envirotainer, forecasts the future of the pharma cold chain regarding technological advancements and changes in market dynamics.

Enacting Sustainable Practices

Why has the demand for sustainable practices risen exponentially, and what has Envirotainer been doing in this regard?

I think that sustainability is an increasing request from pharma manufacturers. I think that the pressure is coming from government, from regulatory bodies. There is an increasing social awareness of the issues globally. This is why it's such an important topic. At Envirotainer, we really prioritize sustainability in its strategy. Seeing that we are guided by science-based targets, we have set the most ambitious targets in the industry to really lower our CO

We are also developing our solutions with sustainability in mind. For example, we are trying to focus on lowering the weight of the units and optimizing the footprint inside the aircraft, while also trying to reduce the flow of empty container units. We have also worked with some of our partners to really develop CO

 calculation tools so that we can really work with our pharma customers to measure the CO

 emissions on the specific trade. lanes during a specific shipment. We try to keep sustainability in mind, as we are innovating in this area and working with our pharma partners.

In the third part of her video interview with Pharma Commerce Editor Nicholas Saraceno, Delphine Perridy, chief commercial officer, Envirotainer, discusses the significant increase in demand for sustainable practices and outlines the company's initiatives in this area.

The Value of Retail Consumerism 

, Albert Thigpen, co-founder, Talentwise Consulting, discussed how the panel on “Playing the Chess Endgame–Healthcare Policies Targeting Drug Commercialization” underscored the complexities of implementing the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), predicting significant challenges for stakeholders like retail pharmacies, payers, and pharmacy benefit managers. They highlighted concerns about the unintended consequences of negotiated maximum fair prices (MFPs), particularly on the generics industry and oncology drug distribution, which could complicate decisions for companies and affect in-office dispensing practices. Overall, the panelists noted that the IRA's intricate framework might lead to unforeseen difficulties in the healthcare landscape.

Thigpen also emphasized the importance of taking a long-term and measured perspective for manufacturers when it comes to strategic approaches to pricing and commercialization in light of future US. healthcare policies. He noted that, similar to the evolving landscape of Medicare Part D over the past 20 years, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will also undergo significant changes. Manufacturers should prepare for initial challenges and be ready to reassess their strategies annually, adapting to new rules and market dynamics as they emerge. This approach may involve delaying product launches or adjusting commercialization tactics based on negotiated MFPs and market conditions, akin to the strategies seen with AbbVie and Humira. Beyond that, Thigpen dove into key trends impacting the pharmacy benefit management and specialty pharmacy spaces, while providing a crash course on retail consumerism. 

A transcript of Thigpen’s conversation with

What is retail consumerism, and why is it so valuable?

I think about retail consumerism as it pertains to healthcare and pharmacy in general. The consumer today is incredibly empowered to make their own decisions as it relates to consumer choices in general. Let's go through a few of them.

The first one is the music industry. I'm old enough to know that I remember vinyl records, eight-track tapes, and being able to go to a record store. Now, seeing that entire industry evolve into digitized music and streaming services like Spotify or Apple Music, I get to pick and choose my music. I can pay for it on a subscription basis. I have complete control over that. The entire vinyl digital music marketplace has gone by the wayside in favor of a digital consumerism model. The travel industry—I don't care if you're talking airlines or hotels, it is in the hands of the consumer.

The consumer can choose what hotels they want to use. I can choose what airlines I want to use. I can choose multiple portals that allow me to find the cheapest price across the board, like an Expedia or a Kayak, or anything under the sun. I can negotiate with them, find deeper prices across the board, but the need to go and coordinate a vacation through a travel agent is far by the wayside. So that is retail consumerism in the travel industry in general. It’s the same way with the auto industry—I don't have to go to even see a retail agent anymore. Everything's on my phone. I can just pick and choose my car, what I want. Pick my car when I land, figure out how to return it, change it. That's retail consumerism at its best.

Healthcare, unfortunately, Nico, has been the last to convert on retail consumerism, and it's for a lot of different reasons. What I would like to see is a world where the retail consumer and healthcare had their ability and functionality to do what they do in those other industries. I can pick and see my doctor when I want to see my doctor. I can pick the generic when I want the generic drug. I can take if I want to deliver from Amazon pharmacy or Walgreens or CVS or my mail order. I can pick this specialty pharmacy. I can pick this drug or convert this drug. I can pick this lab test when I want it. I can pick this urgent care when I want it.

Having that type of flexibility is how I think about retail consumerism. I think some of the evolution is just like turning the Titanic in healthcare. It's just really slow, methodical changes that are getting there, but companies in the cash marketplace are the ones that are driving a lot of the consumerism by being able to take control their benefit, make the right economical choices that's best for them, choose what pharmacies they want to go to, what coupons are applied or which ones aren't applied. Empowering the consumer to make the choices is basically the under-arching thesis.

Albert Thigpen, co-founder, Talentwise Consulting, shares how today’s consumer is empowered to make their own decisions as it relates to consumer choices in general, while outlining how the concept can be applicable to the healthcare and pharma industry.

Latest Conference Coverage

Access Insights 2024: The Value of Retail Consumerism 

Access Insights

PC: What other sessions at the conference have you found to be the most interesting?

Well, I've been very impressed, and it certainly has fed my inherent pessimism, with the discussion about retail pharmacy, particularly as a sort of uniquely challenged aspect of the supply chain. Bill Roth had an absolutely fantastic presentation to lead off that really scoped out the many challenges and just how significant those challenges are. His takeaway was that we are really reverting to an almost pre-World War II world in which services are based on cash increasingly, and where compounding is a bigger and bigger part of the delivery of drugs to patients. But those were some really important observations there. A little later, there was a panel that talked about the state of retail pharmacy from a number of different perspectives, including large chain pharmacies, and even those big players are under huge pressure to innovate great drugs and get them through the FDA process. You can theoretically even create coverage and reimbursement for them at the payer level. But if there's not actually a means to deliver those drugs to patients, you've got a huge problem and the degree of pressure that retail pharmacies are under, certainly the independence, but even really the chains are a disturbing component of what we're facing as an industry right now.

 The implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act is expected to be challenging, with both short-term losses and operational difficulties. While the Act aims to help patients through measures like a $2,000 out-of-pocket cap and a smoothing mechanism, it may also lead to higher premiums and deductibles. Additionally, the negotiated prices might not yield the expected savings, and there could be negative consequences for biosimilars, generic drugs, and pharmaceutical innovation.

Retail pharmacy is facing significant challenges, including a potential return to a cash-based system and increased compounding. Even large chains are under pressure, impacting patient access to treatments. Other factors affecting patient access include the potential for plans and PBMs to move away from negotiated price drugs, maximizers and accumulators, and alternative funding programs involving unapproved drugs. These issues collectively pose a significant threat to patient access to treatments.

William Sarraille, professor, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, discusses other standout sessions at this year’s Access Insights conference.

Access Insights 2024: Notable Breakout Sessions

Supply Chain Resolution

At this year’s LogiPharma USA conference in Boston, a panel titled “Conveying Key Goals and Strategies Across the Value Chain,” discussed how collaborating with distributors and other logistical partners takes consistent and clear communication across the vast systems and networks that the pharmaceutical industry operates in. In an interview with Pharma Commerce, Lucy Alexander, capabilities lead, global supply chain and strategy, AstraZeneca, and a participant of the panel, offered a synopsis of the panel and spoke of challenges in communication across the value chain.

PC: Can you share an example where effective communication led to the successful resolution of a supply chain issue?

I actually have a lot of examples. I actually started my career as a marketing consultant. I would go with my clients, who were the marketing team, and they would have this great initiative they want to do. We would go into a meeting room with the operations team, with marketing sitting on one side and operations sitting on the other. So, from the start, you feel that this might be a bit contentious. The marketing people would bring up a promotion that they would want to do, but the operations team would shut it down, and that would be the end of the conversation.

It's actually a part of why I got into supply chain management. I felt there was always more to it. I was able to broker those discussions and look for the creative solution. I think that's one of the keys about people in supply chain management is that we really are sort of that that junction point to try and manage all the potentially conflicting needs across the organization.

 The panel on conveying key goals and strategies across the supply chain emphasized the importance of alignment throughout the supply ecosystem. Misaligned goals can lead to confusion, with teams misunderstanding both the "what" and the "why" of tasks. Ensuring clear communication from corporate strategy down to individual objectives is essential for successful execution, not only within the organization but also across partnerships. Effective collaboration with partners is crucial, particularly in aligning priorities and understanding the drivers behind strategic decisions. Regular and transparent communication helps partners proactively adjust when business dynamics change.

In addressing supply chain conflicts, the panel noted the frequent occurrence of conflicting priorities. Organizations may have diverse focuses, such as cost reduction or digital transformation, which can create tension when balancing these against other objectives. The key to resolving these conflicts is transparency, ongoing communication, and a mutual understanding of each other's goals. In some cases, compromises can be made, or creative solutions may emerge to meet a majority of the objectives.

The speaker also shared an example of effective communication in supply chain management, where understanding operational constraints led to more collaborative problem-solving. This approach underscored the speaker’s belief in the role of supply chain management as a mediator between different organizational needs.

As the supply chain landscape evolves, skills like storytelling, negotiation, and trust-building will become increasingly important. Simplifying complex situations through storytelling can help align stakeholders, while negotiation ensures win-win solutions. Finally, building trust, especially in an increasingly digital world, remains a critical component of successful partnerships.

Lucy Alexander, capabilities lead, global supply chain and strategy, AstraZeneca, discusses examples of how effective communication can resolve supply chain issues. 

Supply Chain Logistics

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