Healthcare supply chains have all the challenges of supply chains in other industries, but they also have unique issues that add an extra measure of complexity: The strict government regulations that healthcare supply chains must conform to increase the difficulty of balancing speed, visibility and control. Here's a look at some of the problems healthcare companies face in supply chain management.
Investigating dealers of counterfeit drugs is similar to investigating drug cartels, Pfizer has found. It's easy for detectives to jump out and catch the guys selling pills on the corner. It's much harder to catch the kingpins. There's one big difference, though. With cocaine, say, the whole supply chain"”from farming to retailing"”tends to be run by one cartel. With fake pharmaceuticals, the marketplace is open and alliances are constantly shifting. To get to the source, detectives typically start with small-time retailers and work their way up the supply chain.
