As pharmaceutical technology continues to improve, it will be necessary to maintain viable shipping options. Medications will become increasingly sensitive to temperature, and it’ll be important to keep them within ranges that will get smaller and smaller as time goes on. What else will shape the future of pharmaceutical shipments?
Point-of-need Shipments
In the coming years, patients can expect to have treatments available on a point-of-need basis. The ability to deliver these products quickly and promptly would drive competitiveness and change in the supply chain industry. Supply chain managers would be forced to adapt their processes, being forced to develop a unique supply chain method for every patient while still maintaining temperature-control requirements.
Point-of-need shipments could mean that more-common carriers used for everyday shipping, such as UPS, FedEx, and USPS, could adopt cold-chain storage methods on a more universal, everyday scale. The first company to develop a process that does so will likely secure major business contracts, as pharmaceutical companies are already looking for ways to deliver sensitive medications to patients directly.
Involving Patients In The Supply Chain Process
Not only will patients be receiving point-of-need shipments, but they will also be sending them in the future. Patients will be expected to ship various samples, including DNA, urine, and blood samples, to labs. No longer will patients be the “end-goal” of the supply chain process. Instead, patients will be involved in multiple points of the supply chain process.
Increased Competitiveness From International Markets
China, India, and Russia have developed to the point where they can no longer be considered “emerging markets.” Recent economic and pharmaceutical developments now make them key players in the industry. These countries will have a major impact on pharmaceutical shipments.
Patients could potentially order drugs from other countries, especially if they are available cheaper abroad than at home. This could force domestic pharmaceutical companies to lower the prices of drugs. If not, the shipping industry will have to adapt their cold-chain shipping methods to ensure pharmaceuticals still arrive in their intended state after traveling around the globe.
