With the recent news warning of a potential penicillin shortage in the midst of a recent outbreak of a form of Strep A in the UK, Rebekah Jordan sat with Kelly Doering, senior director, AspenTech, to learn more about how digitalisation in pharma manufacturing is key to overcoming drug shortages such as this one, and how the industry can build a more resilient and flexible supply chain.
Key insights:
- The digital transformation of pharma manufacturing supports the supply chain in growing more resilient and seamless, mitigating potential disruptions before they arise.
- People can rely on digital technology solutions, to proactively find optimal solutions with real time monitoring.
- Lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic have resulted in more pharma companies addressing the medicine access problem, and using digital tools to do so.
The symptoms of a supply shortage can be quite varied. Problems can stem from a raw material shortage, shipping issues or even accessibility. Disruptions can also be caused by batches that failed during the production process or quality assurance, therefore cannot be shipped as expected. As a result, pharmaceutical shortages can occur.