LogiPharma Europe 2024: LogiPharma Commercial Director Discusses Themes of the Show

PC: Supply chain visibility and sustainability are certainly main trends at the show, but what other themes come to mind?

Robinson: First, the visibility and sustainability are intrinsically linked. The more visibility that the producers are able to have on their end-to-end supply chains, the more they're able to control them, drive efficiencies, and drive sustainability efforts in the process. Another thing that kind of comes into this whole balancing act that we see in terms of two factors is this balancing act that the producers are trying to do. One is keeping the patient center of mind, always making sure they're not viewing the customer as just a wholesaler that they're working with. It's not just the case of whenever the drug leaves their immediate supply chain, but they cease to think about it, which is the traditional kind of way of looking at it within the industry. Nowadays, people are very patient centric. The way that the pipelines are developing, they're becoming smaller volume, higher value, personalized in a very focused upon individual patients. You can't help but have a patient centric supply chain.

The other is building resilience. The global supply chains are getting shocked. It's not just pharmaceutical supply chains either. The chief supply chain officer for Avon was saying that he doesn't even believe in black swans, he believes they're all gray swans. But these big shocks and disruptions to the supply chain just keep on happening. The repercussions of a supply chain not meeting patient needs and not getting that product to the patient, particularly when they rely upon it or their quality of life, or even their life itself, are huge. That contingency and resilience absolutely needs to be in there. But that can't be at the expense completely of efficiency or sustainability. How do you get that balance right? Is it possible to have an extremely efficient, patient centric, sustainable, and watertight disruption proof supply chain? It's all interlinked.

PC: What are future plans for the show? Will it continue to be held in Lyon, and are there any plans to switch venues?

Robinson: We're definitely here next year, we'll be here for the 25th anniversary. We don't see any reason to change it. It's on a high-speed rail line, which is certainly where we're trying to drive as many of our attendees to be using. The venue's great. It's not super simple to get to for some people. But for the vast majority of those who attend, it is actually quite easy to get to. It’s a bit of a break from the office—it takes you away. It puts you in a different headspace. It makes you engaged in the event for two or three or four days, or however long you're here. I think we're going to stick here for at least the next couple of years.