Supply Chain

Merck’s decision to shutter its Riverside, PA antibiotic API facility underscores how decades of cost-driven optimization have eroded domestic manufacturing of essential medicines—exposing systemic vulnerabilities in US drug supply resilience that markets alone are unlikely to fix.

The healthcare pricing platform is expanding access to Novo Nordisk’s newly approved oral GLP-1 for weight management, pairing transparent cash pricing with telehealth support nationwide.

The sustainable packaging company relocates its branded foam production to a more expansive Lansing site, boosting capacity, efficiency, and support for growing demand in the life science market.

The acquisition strengthens Yusen Logistics’ healthcare footprint across Europe, adding specialized transportation, warehousing, digital, and GDP-compliant capabilities to its regional and global network.

As drugmakers experiment with direct-to-patient sales, Thani Jambulingam, PhD, professor of food, pharma, and healthcare business at Saint Joseph’s University’s Erivan K. Haub School of Business, shares why wholesalers remain indispensable to pharmaceutical distribution—supporting cold chain management, regulatory compliance, billing, and large-scale logistics that manufacturers are not equipped to handle on their own.

The South Korea–based CDMO acquires its first US manufacturing facility in Rockville, MD, expanding its global footprint and strengthening biologics capacity.

Thani Jambulingam, PhD, professor of food, pharma, and healthcare business at Saint Joseph’s University’s Erivan K. Haub School of Business, describes why uncertainty around final tariff rules is forcing manufacturers into a wait-and-see position.

A $1.5 million investment in its facilities located near Los Angeles International Airport strengthens DHL’s cold chain capacity, supporting pharmaceutical and healthcare shipments while advancing the company’s long-term health logistics strategy for the Americas.

The CDMO’s latest GMP-qualified line strengthens sterile manufacturing scalability.

In a discussion on global trade disruption, Thani Jambulingam, PhD, professor of food, pharma, and healthcare business at Saint Joseph’s University’s Erivan K. Haub School of Business, explains why pharmaceutical manufacturers must move beyond broad assumptions about tariffs and instead assess trade risk at the individual product level.

The acquisition strengthens CEVA’s global project logistics footprint, adding heavy-lift expertise, specialized engineering talent, and integrated solutions across key regions.

The pharmaceutical giant’s new 700,000-square-foot hub aims to onshore production of key medicines and strengthen the US drug supply chain.

AI-powered control towers and digital twins are emerging as essential tools to prevent costly supply chain failures and restore operational reliability.

Welcome to Pharma Pulse, a Pharmaceutical Commerce podcast where we bring you the latest insights shaping patient access, supply chain/logistics, data & tech, and healthcare innovation. I’m your host, and let’s get into today’s headlines.

As the FDA ends its phased exemption period for most trading partners, Two Labs’ Michael Rowe warns that DSCSA compliance is entering a far more complex era—one shaped by real-time traceability, digital record requirements, and a transition to a 12-digit NDC.

The entrepreneur urges the Trump administration to eliminate costly FDA generic drug fees, part of a broader push to scale domestic production, address shortages, and challenge PBM-driven pricing models.

The pharma distribution giant is scaling its third-party logistics network across Europe and the United States, adding cryogenic capacity, new facilities, and enhanced cold chain services, to support rising demand for specialty pharmaceuticals and global market access.

In today’s Pharma Pulse, a structured exercise program is proven to manage persistent long COVID symptoms, while Regeneron commits $150 million upfront to Tessera for a gene writing therapy targeting AATD, and Strive Pharmacy invests in a massive Arizona facility to boost national personalized medicine capacity.

The new 350,000 square-foot Mesa hub is expected to expand the compounding pharmacy’s national fulfillment and advanced compounding capabilities.

In today’s Pharma Pulse, a US-UK trade agreement mandates that the UK’s NICE agency raises its QALY threshold, increasing access to innovative drugs and much more.

In the final part of his Pharma Commerce video interview, Dan Walles, VP & GM, traceability and compliance solutions, TraceLink, notes that while DSCSA was designed for compliance, its first major business value is enabling targeted recalls.

The agreement includes exemptions for UK-produced drugs and medical devices from Section 232 tariffs, but mandates a significant change to the UK's NICE value appraisal framework.

In the second part of his Pharma Commerce video interview, Dan Walles, VP & GM, traceability and compliance solutions, TraceLink, describes how initial EPCIS setup issues quickly give way to operational challenges—missing data, mismatched shipments, and suspect product alerts. Dispensers that succeed are the ones developing repeatable, cross-partner exception workflows.

In the first part of his Pharma Commerce video interview, Dan Walles, VP & GM, traceability and compliance solutions, TraceLink, notes that full readiness hinges on integrating serialized data exchange into everyday operations, not simply meeting minimum compliance requirements.

In the third part of his Pharma Commerce video interview, Brad Stewart, BDO’s national life sciences co-leader, explains that while the FDA has not defined the specific level of manufacturing commitment needed to improve US supply chain resilience, applicants for the voucher should focus on linking unique or rare disease therapies—particularly in areas like oncology—with domestic onshoring efforts to move their applications to the top of the pile for selection.