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The Targeted Solution
The 20th century pharmaceutical supply chain in operation today
exists in a relatively simple environment – simple in comparison
with the complexity expected in the near future. It exists to shift
large volumes of one type of product: small-molecule compounds.
Essentially, it is product-driven, with supply pushed onto the
marketplace through several channels. Today there are relatively
few variants of any given product, delineated by strength or dosage
of the active substance, timing of delivery (e.g. whether
controlled-released or immediate-action) and delivery mode (e.g.
tablets, creams, capsules or drops). The future will be quite
different, where even the active substances – whether biologic or
chemical – will be molecularly variable, and are likely to be provided
in variable combinations to tackle multifactorial diseases.
Tougher safety and efficacy demands and improved
understanding of human physiology and genetics are driving a
move away from developing ‘one-size-fits-all’ blockbuster drugs
towards targeted treatments and increasingly personalised forms
of medicine. Developing treatments that are tailored to a specific
group of patients has implications for many parts of the supply
chain. Multiple products will be in development with multiple
variants associated with diagnostic devices or testing kits to
determine a patient’s suitability for a treatment. This requires
simultaneous scale-ups yet involves different manufacturing
cycles and processes. Products will be targeted across fragmented
locations in much smaller volumes, yet it will be a global effort that
requires servicing and support. It will also involve multiple
partners external to the traditional pharmaceutical organisation:
technologies will need to be co-developed alongside the drugs.
Overall, the supply chain will need to be much more adaptable,
flexible and responsive to cope with the heightened complexity
that can be expected in the future.
Early-stage Integration
Pharmaceutical organisations are increasingly having to work in
partnership with companies and suppliers outside their
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