Supply Chains and Customer Service Need Prompt Shoring Up, Veteran Pharma Exec Warns

A veteran pharma executive is sounding a warning call to industry that its current approach to supply chains, outsourcing and customer service needs to be overhauled quickly to address the disruptions causing drug shortages, advance operational excellence, and restore its reputation.

Industry consultant Peter Bigelow sounded the warning call in his keynote presentation at an ISPE conference on pharmaceutical supply chains in June in Baltimore, Maryland.

The “strategic view” of the industry problems that Bigelow presented is grounded in his extensive experience in pharmaceutical operations and management, which has included executive level positions in operations and engineering at Wyeth and most recently as interim Patheon CEO and President of its North American Operations.  He now serves as President of SHA Consulting.

At the ISPE conference, Bigelow addressed: ● how supply chains and outsourcing operations have changed over the past four decades ● the critical supply chain challenges that the industry faces ● how to proceed, and ● how to measure the success of the efforts. [Editor’s Note:  A link to Bigelow’s complete remarks is provided at the end of the story.]

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