The pharmaceutical supply chain has never faced more pressure, or shown more promise, than it does today. Challenges such as drug shortages, natural disasters, geopolitical shifts, tariffs, and labor considerations present opportunities to strengthen our global networks. Additionally, scientific innovation is reshaping the nature of patient treatment. For example, in 2024, the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) approved 50 new molecular entities (NMEs), with 88% classified as specialty drugs designed to treat chronic, rare, or life-threatening conditions.^[1]

The pace of innovation is exciting, but it can also present challenges. Patient health depends on a supply chain that can meet rising demand with precision and resilience. Patient access to innovative new therapies requires us to reimagine how the supply chain operates by integrating advanced technology and strengthening collaboration and trust among suppliers, patients, providers, and the broader healthcare system. 

Smarter Supply Chains with AI, Automation, and Predictive Analytics

To meet this challenge, the industry is relying on new tools that improve foresight and precision in supply chain operations. One of the most powerful shifts underway is the application of AI and predictive analytics to supply chain management. These tools allow us to look around corners, anticipating shortages before they occur, and enabling more accurate demand forecasting. With this level of foresight, manufacturers and distributors can adjust production schedules, reroute shipments, or increase safety stock to protect patient access. Improved forecasting and sensing demand changes more immediately also helps reduce excess inventory. This frees up resources for where they’re most needed.

Automation plays a similarly transformative role. From robotics transporting products across warehouses to automated storage and retrieval systems reducing manual handling, technology is improving accuracy, speed, and reliability. These advances also reduce error, increase efficiency, and maintain product integrity and patient safety.

Importantly, these technologies are also redefining how we process and manage high-value specialty and precision medicines. With therapies tailored to smaller patient populations (and, in some cases, to individual patients), visibility from the manufacturer to the point of care is critical. Advanced tracking systems enable real-time monitoring for expensive, temperature-sensitive products, ensuring they reach the right place of care, at the right moment, and under the right conditions. For precision therapies that depend on diagnostic testing or tissue sampling, digital tools are also helping to close the loop. These connect test results back to prescribing decisions and ensuring that patients receive the care they need without delay. 

As a result of these innovations, automation is creating space for people to focus on higher-value work. For example, instead of spending hours walking warehouse aisles, employees can apply their expertise to problem-solving, customer support, and safety oversight. It’s this combination of human expertise and technological precision that makes today’s supply chain operate most efficiently.

Collaboration as a Strategic Necessity

Of course, even the most advanced systems can fall short without the right partnerships to put them into action. As the pharmaceutical landscape becomes more complex, it is critical for manufacturers, distributors, pharmacies, and providers to operate in lockstep. Real-time communication and data help align production schedules, inventory levels, and distribution strategies with demand. When collaboration is effective, the results speak for themselves: fewer shortages, less waste, and more reliable patient access.

Collaboration also helps to keep panic out of the system. When stakeholders can share real-time tracking data and communicate about disruptions, they reduce the likelihood of over-ordering and allocation pressures. One single delay or mixed signal can create a ripple effect resulting in uncertainty. Proactive coordination can alleviate stress across the supply chain.

Collaboration is ultimately about people—not just about technology or dashboards. Skilled teams can translate supply chain strategy into swift action and keep therapies accessible, even when facing challenges. Whether it’s rerouting deliveries during a hurricane or adjusting distribution strategies in response to a manufacturing delay, the ability to pivot quickly often determines whether patients get the medicines they need on time.

Looking Ahead

The future of the pharmaceutical supply chain will be defined by whether every patient, no matter their condition or location, can access the therapies they need. Achieving that vision means leaning into AI, automation, and strong partnerships focused on patient outcomes. Scientific progress is accelerating, but it takes streamlined and frequent collaboration to turn those advances into a resilient supply chain that patients can depend on. By designing supply chains that are smarter, more resilient, and patient-centric, innovation translates into real-world impact—delivering on the promise of better health outcomes for all.

References

1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Advancing Health Through Innovation: New Drug Therapy Approvals 2024. Accessed September 30, 2025. https://www.fda.gov/media/184967/download

Chris Van Norman is Senior Vice President of Supply Chain Operations at McKesson, leading operational strategy and execution for pharmaceutical distribution across more than 30 distribution centers and eight central fill locations. He oversees transportation, inventory planning, network design, customer support, data and insights, and quality and regulatory compliance, and previously served as Vice President of Distribution, leading more than 6,000 associates across the network.