The impact of covid-19 on the pharmaceutical supply chain

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the everyday lives of people and businesses around the world, and a field greatly affected has been the United States pharmaceutical supply chain. This global pandemic has made preexisting issues within the supply chain’s structure more glaring than before with people’s lives being at risk. Demand for drugs is at least equivalent and likely higher in this current health setting. If companies are not providing the appropriate medications to their customers, then it can be the difference between life and death for some. To investigate the challenges behind the supply chain, the analysis was focused on problems before COVID-19, such as the lack of transparency, burdensome regulations, and logistical issues due to improper distribution. An investigation on how COVID-19 has impacted each specific part of the pharmaceutical supply chain leads to a discussion on what recommendations could be implemented to fix the presented issues. The U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain is a complex, global system that has become increasingly more challenging to navigate because of COVID-19. Shortages need to be mitigated, and the inevitability of a future vaccine for the virus needs to follow a proper logistics and distribution model to ensure its success. © IEOM Society International.