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Appropriate logistic planning for the pharmaceutical supply chain can significantly improve many financial and performance aspects. To this aim, a multi-objective optimization model is proposed in this paper that considers different types of pharmaceuticals, different vehicles with determining capacities and multi-period logistic planning. This model can be updated based on new information about resources and newly identified requests.

The main objective function of the proposed model in this paper is minimizing the unsatisfied prioritized requests for pharmaceuticals in the network. Besides, the total transportation activities of different types of vehicles and related costs are considered as other objectives. Therefore, these objectives are optimized hierarchically in the proposed model using the Lexicographic method. This method finds the best value for the first objective function. Then, it tries to optimize the second objective function while maintaining the optimality of the first objective function. The third objective function is optimized based on the optimality of other objective functions, as well. A non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II-multi-objective particle swarm optimization heuristic method is designed for this aim.

The performances of the proposed model were analyzed in different cases and its results for different problems were shown within the framework of a case study. Besides, the sensitivity analysis of results shows the logical behavior of the proposed model against various factors.

The proposed methodology can be applied to find the best logistic plan in real situations.

In this paper, the authors have tried to use a multi-objective optimization model to guide and correct the pharmaceutical supply chain to deal with the related requests. This is important because it can help managers to improve their plans.

This paper deals with the combined management and design of a sustainable pharmaceutical supply chain network with considering recycling.

This paper first utilizes the analytical hierarchy process to select and rank green manufacturers. Second, the authors proposed a multi-objective nonlinear mathematical model to design a sustainable pharmaceutical supply chain network. The proposed model has been linearized and solved using the LP-metric method using GAMS software.

A real case study has been conducted in Iran. The results show that environmental and social issues can be improved while minimizing total costs.

Given the criticality and importance of drugs in human health and the importance of recycling in today's world, proper management and design of a sustainable drug supply chain are necessary. This study pays special attention to environmental issues by utilizing multi-criteria decision approaches and customer satisfaction.

This study aims to enhance storage and distribution operations at a pharmaceutical supply center (PSC) in primary health care (PH) using lean health care (LH) tools. Supply centers for health products, medications and supplies have unique characteristics compared to centers for other goods due to complex processes, specific services, diverse stakeholders and multiple interactions. The authors adapt LH tools to address these complexities and meet industry-specific needs.

The investigation unit is a PSC in a large southern Brazilian city, and the processes analyzed are the storage and distribution of medications. The authors performed action research from June 2019 to February 2020. Data collection and problem diagnosis involved the development of a value stream mapping.

The authors adapted the overall equipment effectiveness calculation, efficiency analysis, and loss classification for PSC operations. Eighteen core issues were found: waiting, movement, transport, stock, inadequate processing, defects and human potential losses. The authors proposed waste reduction tools and practices. Inadequate storage conditions may compromise medicine quality, efficacy and safety. This can result from lacking physical structures or noncompliance with procedures. Next, the authors recommend simulating scenarios for validation before implementation.

The study explored ways to enhance layout and medicine distribution at the PSC, focusing on reducing loss and cost impact.

Originality lies in LH application in a PSC of PH, often applied in secondary or tertiary health levels like hospitals. The novelty necessitated adaptations of tools for future PSC applications.

The purpose of this study is to contribute towards the debate about global access to COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.

The global scramble for COVID-19 vaccine and other related pharmaceutical products have once again exposed the limitations of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). High-income countries are claiming a lion’s share of the first available batches of the COVID-19 vaccine in total disregard of the consequences such approach would have on the low-income countries that lack both the manufacturing wherewithal and the financial resources to purchase the vaccine and other products needed to combat the pandemic. This paper reviews the existing TRIPS Flexibilities and analyses their limitations with respect to equitable access of pharmaceutical products in times of health emergencies. This paper then considers the unique challenges that have been brought to the fore by the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, this paper analytically explores some options that have been proposed so far that the World Trade Organization (WTO) or governments can take in the immediate to near term to facilitate equitable access to COVID-19 pharmaceutical products and technologies. This research is non-empirical, desk-based research. It is, therefore, based on the literature review of existing body of work that is relevant to the topic under discussion. Mindful of the epistemological challenges that are always associated with desk-based research, part of the methodology of this work is to seek support from related empirical studies based on different philosophical underpinnings but that confirm the working hypothesis of this research.

This paper finds that there is still a need for a comprehensive reform of TRIPS Agreement to streamline the voluntary licencing system which is an important tool for low-income countries’ access to affordable pharmaceuticals. However, for purposes of dealing with COVID-19, WTO members should consider establishing pooled Licencing Facilities and procurement strategies via already existing political, economic or regional trade groupings.

This research is original. All sources have been acknowledged. This research synthesises different research papers and applies different viewpoints to the debate on the impact of the TRIPS Agreement on equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.

The pharmaceutical industry is one of the most essential areas of health in any country. It is defined as a system of processes, operations and organizations involved in discovering, developing and producing drugs. The supply chain in the pharmaceutical field is one of the most important strategic issues in the pharmaceutical and health-care industries. The purpose of this study is to reduce the total cost of the supply chain network and reduce the amount of distribution scheduling.

In this study, the authors designed a drug supply chain network with uncertainty-related corruption. The optimal number and location of potential facilities, the optimal allocation of flow between facilities, the optimal routing of vehicles and the optimal amount of inventory in production and distribution center warehouses were determined to achieve these two objective functions.

In evaluating the small sample size problem, it was found that the comprehensive benchmarking method was more efficient than the other methods in obtaining the mean index of the first objective function. The utility function method has also proved its efficiency in obtaining the mean of the second objective function indices, the spacing index and the computational time. Because of the inefficiency of GAMS software in resolving size issues, the modified NSGA II and MOPSO algorithms with modified priority-based encryption have been used. First, using the Taguchi method, the initial parameters of the metaheuristic algorithms are adjusted, and then, 15 sample problems are designed in larger sizes. To avoid generating random data, five problems were equally designed, and the averages of objective functions and metrics of met heuristic algorithms (number of efficient solutions, maximum expansion index, spacing index and computational time) were analyzed as the basis of evaluation and comparison. Therefore, using all the indicators and results of the NSGA II algorithm is recommended.

In this research, a biobjective modeling approach is proposed to minimize the total costs of the supply chain network (construction costs, storage costs and product transportation costs between centers) and advertising costs and to minimize distribution and transportation scheduling across each level of the supply chain network.

This study aims to investigate a reliability-level demand-oriented pharmaceutical supply chain design with maximal anticipated demand coverage. Different hospitals with the particular reliability value associated with the various pharmaceutical items (PIs) are considered. An inter-connected multi-period supply chain comprising manufacturers, distribution centers, hospitals and patients is assumed for the smooth flow of health-care items, enhancing supply chain reliability. A reliability index for PIs is depicted to highlight product preference and facilitate hospitals’ service levels for patients.

A mixed-integer multi-objective programming problem that maximizes maximal demand coverage minimizes the total economic costs and pharmaceutical delivery time is depicted under intuitionistic fuzzy uncertainty. Further, a novel interactive neutrosophic programming approach is developed to solve the proposed pharmaceutical supply chain management (PSCM) model. Each objective’s marginal evaluation is elicited by various sorts of membership functions such as linear, exponential and hyperbolic types of membership functions and depicted the truth, indeterminacy and falsity membership degrees under a neutrosophic environment.

The proposed PSCM model is implemented on a real case study and solved using an interactive neutrosophic programming approach that reveals the proposed methods’ validity and applicability. An ample opportunity to generate the compromise solution is suggested by tuning various parameters. The outcomes are evaluated with practical managerial implications based on the significant findings. Finally, conclusions and future research scope are addressed based on the proposed work.

The propounded study has some limitations that can be addressed in future research. The discussed PSCM model can be merged with and extended by considering environmental factors such as the health-care waste management system, which is not included in this study. Uncertainty among parameters due to randomness can be incorporated and can be tackled with historical data. Besides, proposed interactive neutrosophic programming approach (INPA), various metaheuristic approaches may be applied to solve the proposed PSCM model as a future research scope.

The strategy advised is to provide an opportunity to create supply chains and manufacturing within India by helping existing manufacturers to expand, identifying new manufacturers, hand-holding and facilitating, teams of officers, engineers and scientists deployed and import only if necessary to meet timelines. Thus, any pharmaceutical company or organization can adopt the production and distribution management initiatives amongst hospitals to strengthen and enable the pharmaceutical company while fighting fatal diseases during emergencies. Finally, managers or policy-makers can take advantage of the current study and extract fruitful pieces of information and knowledge regarding the optimal production and distribution strategies while making decisions.

This research work manifests the demand-oriented extension of the integrated PSCM design with maximum expected coverage, where different hospitals with pre-determined reliability values for various PIs are taken into consideration. The practical managerial implications are explored that immensely support the managers or practitioners to adopt the production and distribution policies for the PIs to ensure the sustainability in supply chain design.

This study focuses on identifying potential challengers affecting cold chain performance in the pharmaceutical industry. Considering the history of humanity, every pandemic experienced could only be controlled with the vaccine found. While the world is fighting the unforgettable epidemic called COVID-19, scientists are also working to find the therapeutic vaccine. The vaccines studied have different temperature storage and transport properties. In the pharmaceutical industry, it is necessary to know and analyse every step of the cold supply chain to provide the most appropriate and safe cooling level. In addition, it is important to understand the relationship between all the facilities, equipment, tools and materials needed to avoid mistakes along the chain.

Hence, this study focuses on identifying potential challengers affecting sustainable cold supply chain performance in the pharmaceutical industry and proposing a conceptual framework that involves these main challengers. In this study, firstly, different main and sub-factors are defined from the literature, and fuzzy Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory method is applied to analyse the causal link between these factors for an effective application.

Results showed that packaging, transportation and shipping, storage specifications and handling practices, inventory management, technical issues and delivery delay are the most affected factors during the sustainable cold supply chain performance in the pharmaceutical industry. This study offers both managerial implications and a roadmap that are designed with a holistic view to guide manufacturer, logistics parties and even policymakers.

Some of the studies related to the pharmaceutical industry are monitoring and controlling the temperature in the cold supply chain steps; the other part is the studies where the chain steps are examined with a focus on production or transportation. While these issues are the focus, the requirements and conditions of each stage of the supply chain must be studied for a safe, effective and sustainable cold chain beyond the current global pandemic crisis. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that highlights identifying the potential challengers that affect cold supply chain performance for the pharmaceutical industry both theoretically and empirically, solving the causal relationships among these challengers and designing a holistic framework.

Managing risks is becoming a highly focused activity in the health service sector. In particular, due to the complex nature of processes in the pharmaceutical industry, several risks have been associated to its supply chains. The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze the risks occurring in the supply chains of the pharmaceutical industry and propose a decision model, based on the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method, for evaluating risks in pharmaceutical supply chains (PSCs).

The proposed model was developed based on the Delphi method and AHP techniques. The Delphi method helped to select the relevant risks associated to PSCs. A total of 16 sub risks within four main risks were identified through an extensive review of the literature and by conducting a further investigation with experts from five pharmaceutical companies in Bangladesh. AHP contributed to the analysis of the risks and determination of their priorities.

The results of the study indicated that supply-related risks such as fluctuation in imports arrival, lack of information sharing, key supplier failure and non-availability of materials should be prioritized over operational, financial and demand-related risks.

This work is one of the initial contributions in the literature that focused on identifying and evaluating PSC risks in the context of Bangladesh. This research work can assist practitioners and industrial managers in the pharmaceutical industry in taking proactive action to minimize its supply chain risks. To the end, the authors performed a sensitivity analysis test, which gives an understanding of the stability of ranking of risks.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a scale for the measurement of service quality at the manufacturer–doctor interface of the pharmaceutical supply chain and to study the impact of service quality on doctor’s satisfaction and doctor’s prescribing behavior. Doctors from two major states of South India were selected for the study. A doctor perceived service quality scale with three dimensions having eight items was developed through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in the pharmaceutical context. Structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was used to show the relationship between service quality, satisfaction and prescribing behavior. The critical factors of service quality were identified, and a model was developed showing the relationship between service quality, doctor’s satisfaction and doctor’s prescribing behavior which has not been explored in any research. This model will be helpful in further development of new concepts and for analyzing the reasons for the failure of doctors in providing quality service. 

A total of 200 doctors from three major cities of South India were selected. A doctor perceived service quality scale with three dimensions having eight items was developed through CFA using Parasuraman Service quality scale (Parasuraman, 1985, 1986, 1988) as the basis in the pharmaceutical context after focus group discussions with company experts, retailers, doctors and academicians. SEM technique was used to examine the impact of service quality on doctor’s satisfaction and prescribing behavior.

There is no universal set of dimensions and items that determine service quality in manufacturing industries, especially at the manufacturer–doctor interface of the pharmaceutical supply chain though service quality plays a very important role in affecting the performance of manufacturing industries. The critical factors affecting the quality of service for a pharmaceutical company at the manufacturer–doctor interface of the supply chain were identified, and its impact on doctor’s satisfaction and their prescribing behavior were studied.

This research contributes to the development of service quality scale for measuring service quality in pharmaceutical manufacturing company, especially with reference to manufacturer–doctor interface of the supply chain which was not thoroughly explored earlier. A model was developed showing the positive relationship between service quality and doctor’s satisfaction and doctor’s prescribing behavior in pharmaceutical supply chain which is a new concept not proved experimentally.

The study is very useful for the pharmaceutical manufacturing companies to identify the service quality factors affecting doctor’s satisfaction and their prescribing behavior thereby leading to development of new measures for improving the performance of the pharmaceutical supply chain. This study can lead to identification of problems involved in pharmaceutical supply chain and also leads to generation of new ideas and development of new concepts for influencing doctor’s satisfaction and doctor’s prescribing behavior which in turn can help in providing better health.

This study actually has a direct impact on the society. If factors affecting doctor’s satisfaction and prescribing behavior are identified automatically, the end consumer, i.e. patient, can be satisfied in a better way, and better medical care can be provided. If doctor’s problems are identified, then better solutions can be provided to patients; this in turn has a lot of positive impact on the pharmaceutical company and society in general.

This research will act as a base for generating ideas relating to how quality service provided by a company will have an impact on doctor’s satisfaction and his prescribing behavior in pharmaceutical supply chain .To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first of its kind of the conceptual aspects of service quality, satisfaction and loyalty explained in terms of pharmaceutical supply chain as service quality, doctor’s satisfaction and doctor’s prescribing behavior and proved experimentally.

The Indian pharmaceutical industry has contributed significantly to global healthcare by securing superior-quality, inexpensive and reachable medicines worldwide. However, supply chain management (SCM) has been challenging due to constantly shifting requirements for short lifecycles of products, the convergence of industry and changeable realities on the ground. This study aims to identify, assess and prioritize the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities of the pharmaceutical SCM environment in India.

The paper employs a Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat (SWOT) analysis and recognizes strategies to utilize the advantages of the strengths and opportunities, rectify weaknesses and resolve threats.

A variety of strategies that could have a positive effect on the Indian pharmaceutical business are presented. Findings and suggested strategies can significantly advance knowledge, enhance understanding and contribute to the growth of a successful SCM for the Indian pharmaceutical sector.

This paper would act as a roadmap to greater comprehension of the market leaders and market leaders' operating climate. The findings from this study will offer academic scholars and business practitioners deeper insights into the environment of SCM.