Pharma Solutions – Supply Chains and Sourcing Comparators Part 2

This is part two in Pharma IQ’s sourcing comparators report. If you missed the first part or would like to read the rest of the series, please visit our Pharma Solutions resource centre.

Estimates suggest that, in the EU alone, more than €10 billion (£8.7 billion) is lost annually due to spurious pharmaceuticals that continue to flood the market. Local governments have worked tirelessly with manufacturers to roll out anti-counterfeiting measures, such as trace-and-track systems and serialisation. But the problem of fake comparators slipping through the net still poses a major challenge when sourcing for clinical trials in Europe.

Problematic lead times

Aside from security, the other main issue affecting the procurement of drug trial comparator products is delays to re-supply at various stages of the study process. Problems in this area can prove extremely costly for drug producers in the long run and top the agenda for many firms as a result.

The challenge of minimising lead time is not helped by the fact that pharma companies nowadays depend more and more on numerous third parties in meeting their comparator needs. According to the Pharma IQ survey, 68.4 per cent already work with – or expect to work with - more than one comparator sourcing vendor.

Controlling trial costs

As part of its survey, conducted ahead of the 2012 Clinical Trial Supply Europe event, Pharma IQ also polled key community members on the areas in which they see the most potential for cost savings to be made. More than 55 per cent of respondents cited pooled supply as an area with significant cost-cutting potential.

The second most popular option after pooled supply was just-in-time labelling, named by 50 per cent of companies as a promising method of reducing costs, while a third of delegates said continuous supply of comparators would be a good way for them to make savings. Eliminating booklets was chosen by 22.2 per cent and almost 39 per cent were exploring the use of interactive voice response systems (IVRS) for more efficient clinical trial management.

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