The last mile to healthcare: reimagining strategic supply chains in the Asia-Pacific region to ensure equitable supply across and within markets

This update provides key takeaways from one of the expert sessions at the Zuellig Pharma Summit 2022, ‘Building a Healthier Asia: empowering more equitable access to healthcare innovation’. Zuellig Pharma and Knowledge Partner, PRMA Consulting, are pleased to share this summary from the post-summit report to contribute to raising awareness and progressing the conversation on enhancing access to healthcare in the Asia-Pacific region.

Accommodating the new decentralized healthcare delivery paradigm in Asia-Pacific through an evolved supply chain

During this session, expert speakers discussed how the supply chain will evolve to accommodate the new decentralized healthcare delivery paradigm, and how it can support equitable supply of healthcare products in different markets.

Speakers:

Moderator:

Key takeaways:

• The supply chain has become an increasingly important factor in ensuring access. However, the current healthcare supply chain in the Asia-Pacific region faces multiple challenges, such as a lack of regional visibility on demand of healthcare products, geo-political influences, and significant variations and complexities around country-specific/cross-region infrastructure, economy, and human resources requirements and capabilities.

  • Issues regarding sustainability, especially on reducing waste, were also discussed, as 50% of vaccines were wasted globally due to the lack of sufficient cold-chain capabilities, according to WHO estimates.

• Several key elements/aspects to improve supply chain efficiency and capability in the Asia Pacific region were proposed, including collaborations with various stakeholders to establish a cross-regional supply chain community, improving regional infrastructure, more efficient and transparent data, and knowledge sharing across markets. It was also proposed that supply chain providers should improve the visibility of demand, and trace and track demand and supply more effectively, as well as improving knowledge transfer and capability-building at a local level.

  • Establishing alternative supply channels to reduce the reliance on a single country, e.g., China, and exploring a standard approach regarding packaging can support efficiency in the movement of healthcare products.

  • To ensure the safety and sustainability of the healthcare product supply chain, continuous investment is needed to: improve the local infrastructure for manufacturing so that products are made closer to where patients are treated, thus reducing the risk of delays in the supply chain; attracting supply chain talents to the region; and encouraging innovation.

Read the full report to explore the barriers and solutions to equitable access in the Asia‑Pacific region

A full synopsis from the Zuellig Summit is available to download now. This report summarizes the key takeaways from all of the expert sessions:

• Best care anywhere: Achieving access for all to healthcare innovation in a complex region
  
  
• Partnering for health: Building strategic partnerships to achieve the goals for access and equity
  
  
• Trust your doctor? Securing trust in the healthcare system: how does this help drive access and equity?
  
  
• Health in your pocket: Leveraging digital solutions to empower community-centered and patient-centric care models
  
  
• The last mile to healthcare: Reimagining strategic supply chains to ensure equitable supply across and within markets
  
  
• Moving from “Wealth = Health” to “Health = Wealth”: Building value-based healthcare financing models that deliver equitable access

Supporting your Policy, Access, Value, and Evidence needs in the Asia-Pacific region

The Asia-Pacific region is characterized by its dynamic nature and rapidly evolving markets. These are critical to the future growth plans of our pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients, and we are leading many ground-breaking market access projects in the region.

PRMA Consulting, part of Fishawack Health, will help you bring out the best in your asset, using our extensive market access and disease area experience. Get in touch for a confidential conversation about your policy, access, value, and evidence needs.