{"id":11183,"date":"2025-01-03T14:39:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-03T13:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/optano.com\/?p=11183"},"modified":"2026-01-20T11:39:53","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T10:39:53","slug":"resilient-supply-chains-in-the-pharmaceutical-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/optano.com\/en\/media\/insight\/1\/resiliente-lieferketten-in-der-pharmaindustrie\/","title":{"rendered":"Resilient supply chains in the pharmaceutical industry"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Resilient supply chains in the pharmaceutical industry<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Pharmaceutical companies face further challenges after the coronavirus pandemic<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Seeing a child lying in a hospital bed is a scenario that not only parents can relate to. Last winter, however, there was an alarming reason that led to the high number of hospital admissions of children: A shortage of antibiotic juice was responsible for many of the young patients having to be hospitalized for infusion therapy.<\/p>\n

However, there was not only a lack of antipyretics and antibiotics, but also blood pressure medication and even cancer drugs were and still are in short supply in many places. Quick and, above all, long-term solutions do not seem to be in sight. The pressure on the pharmaceutical industry, but also on politicians, is growing. The creation of a legal framework is on the way. But how can pharmaceutical companies themselves counteract supply shortages and ensure their competitiveness at the same time?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Asia: From \u201eextended workbench\u201c to competitor<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In recent decades, pharmaceutical companies have outsourced production in the course of globalization. Asia - as for many other industries - has become an \u201eextended workbench\u201c due to low-cost manufacturing processes and less stringent environmental regulations. However, countries such as China and India have long since ceased to have this status. They are also developing into serious competitors in the pharmaceutical sector.<\/p>

While initially only active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and intermediates from Asia came to Europe for further processing, the number of finished dosage forms (FDFs) is currently also increasing. However, as these are subject to strict regulatory requirements, the situation here is currently (still) somewhat different. Regulations that cannot be complied with in Asia and a shorter shelf life mean that the production facilities for FDFs are located more evenly around the globe and closer to the end markets.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Generics and biopharmaceuticals - different supply chains?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In our daily supply of prescription medicines, generics, i.e. copycat products rich in active ingredients, make up the lion's share. The manufacture of generic APIs also accounts for the largest share of sales. Expiring patents for original drugs and low manufacturing costs are leading to a further increase. Generic APIs are mainly produced in non-European countries.<\/p>

The production facilities for the active ingredients of innovative biopharmaceuticals are currently mainly located in Europe and the USA. The pharmaceutical industry in Germany is also primarily specialized in the production of innovative and complex active ingredients.<\/p>

With production sites evenly distributed around the globe and mainly located in Europe and North America, the supply chains of innovative biopharmaceuticals and finished medical products are currently still to be assessed differently to those of generic active ingredients.<\/p>

However, China and India have also been gaining in importance here recently. The number of approvals for production facilities in these countries is steadily increasing. If the trend observed with generics repeats itself and the production of biopharmaceutical active ingredients gradually shifts to Asia, new dependencies are likely to emerge.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The high dependence on Asian active ingredient manufacturers harbors risks<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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During the coronavirus pandemic, it became clear that pharmaceutical supply chains are much better protected than some other industries due to comparatively high safety stocks of active ingredients and finished medicinal products. However, even the highest safety stocks run out at some point and the concentration of pharmaceutical production sites in Asia therefore continues to harbor risks. The European pharmaceutical industry is currently facing geopolitical challenges and the resulting tense trade relations. In general, concentrating production too heavily in a single region increases the susceptibility of our global supply chains to disruption.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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