Due to supply chain risks, pharma distributors are more inclined to do business locally, data says

According to data from Pipelinepharma, a B2B pharmaceutical marketplace that connects pharma manufacturers with distributors, the number of requests for commercial proposals from European distributors when drug manufacturers are also based in Europe, have increased by 69% in 2021, compared to the previous year.

And as cited in a note by the European Commission, shortages for medical products in the EU have increased 20-fold between 2000 and 2018. However, the document does not take into account the new obstacles presented by the pandemic.

There are also increasing calls to strengthen European pharma manufacturing, with an additional effort for increasing the market presence of generic and biosimilar medicines.

“The supply chain risks and drug shortages are not unique to European customers. FDA also lists more than 100 medications that are in short supply," notes Mindaugas Zagorskis, Pipelinepharma CEO. "The current situation calls for supply network risk mitigation, such as diversifying supply sources and taking geographic as well as geopolitical risks into account.”