‣ Of those left and theoretically available for reshored production , most supply complex and specialised technologies like HPAPIs , peptides , hormones or controlled substances , said Boyd . As such , they are not suited to the production of the commoditised products that currently come from India and China . In short , said Boyd , the US does not have a manufacturing base ready to supply APIs in volume in the near term and reshoring is not “ a viable national solution to the supply shortage ”. Other solutions must be found .
Digitalisation : no panacea
Others , noted moderator Aurelio Arias , engagement manager at IQVIA , have advocated digitalisation of the supply chain as the way forward , but this is not quite so simple . “ It has never been more affordable to set the technology up ,” Schmidinger said . “ There are a lot of great solutions , based on the cloud , AI and Big Data that give users the analytics they need . Some start at as little as $ 2,000 / year . “ The problem is not costs but the mindset , as we have seen in other chemical sectors . Everyone knows about digitalisation and that purchasing will be very different in three to six years ’ time – more platform- than people-centric .” At present , although many pharmaceutical companies already use ERP systems in procurement , very few are integrated with the systems of their suppliers . SAP and others offer systems but these are not made specifically for the pharmaceutical industry , which has opened up opportunities for Kemiex and companies like it . COVID-19 has also accelerated digitalisation , Schmidinger noted . Companies have invested more in e-commerce , ERP and CRM systems because senior executives have been forced to work from home . This process has only just begun , in his view .
Among Kemiex ’ s offer is a stock market-like system that enables users to see where products are in short supply . This , said Arias , must give them a better insight into supply and demand dynamics , which should also lead to greater price transparency and enable companies to manage stocks better . But is there any downside ? In fact , Schmidinger said , these systems are highly secure and help to increase trade compliance without impinging on commercial sensitivities . And regulators , who hold all the Marketing Authorisations with masses of sensitive information in them , hold most of the cards here , in Boyd ’ s view . “ One of the issues we have long experienced is lack of regulatory flexibility ,” he said . “ In highly regulated markets like Western Europe and the US , changing your suppliers , your manufacturing site or even your equipment , all comes at a high cost . There are certainly opportunities at the margin of regulation to streamline these .”
Pharmaceutical equipment is in tight supply at present
18 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981