COVID-19 is reshaping the pharmaceutical supply chain
APRIL 27, 2020 | C&EN VOLUME 98, ISSUE 16 | Rick Mullin
The coronavirus pandemic may mark a rebalancing of where drugs are made as nations recognize a security imperative
The COVID-19 pandemic did not seriously impede the production and shipment of pharmaceuticals in the first quarter of 2020, although the months ahead will be critical as chemical deliveries slow down and inventories of backup supplies dwindle. What the pandemic has done is wake up regulators and world leaders to the extent to which China dominates the world’s supply of active pharmaceutical ingredients and their chemical raw materials. An ongoing industry effort in the US and Europe to rebalance the pharmaceutical chemical supply chain is likely to be energized by government initiatives to ensure domestic production of drugs.