Restructuring of Global Pharmaceutical Supply Chains after COVID-19

In recent decades, global pharmaceutical value chains have been actively developing. Formed close cross-country and inter-sectoral ties contributed the Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the functioning of global pharmaceutical chains. The effects of Covid-19 were overlapped previously em...

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Main Author: N. A. Volgina
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MGIMO University Press 2022-03-01
Series:Vestnik MGIMO-Universiteta
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.vestnik.mgimo.ru/jour/article/view/3061
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author N. A. Volgina
author_facet N. A. Volgina
author_sort N. A. Volgina
collection DOAJ
description In recent decades, global pharmaceutical value chains have been actively developing. Formed close cross-country and inter-sectoral ties contributed the Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the functioning of global pharmaceutical chains. The effects of Covid-19 were overlapped previously emerging trends towards defragmentation of global pharmaceutical production. The aim of this paper is to identify possible firm strategies and models for restructuring pharmaceutical chains aimed at increasing their resilience in response to the damaging effects of Covid-19. We suppose that the resilience of the chain as a whole depends on the resilience of its separate links, and we show that the restructuring of pharmaceutical chains takes place in the form of the so-called “link” restructuring (restructuring of separate links of the chain). The paper highlights such models of “link” restructuring of sectoral cross-border chain as “zero” restructuring (stock creation); localization (including import substitution); migration (including reshoring and regionalization); globalization, which operate both in the short and long term periods. The multistage nature of global pharmaceutical chains, as well as the dynamic development of pharmaceutical outsourcing processes, have created favorable opportunities for “link” restructuring. At the same time, the features of restructuring were influenced by various factors, among which the degree of technology intensity of the pharmaceutical chain takes a key place. The paper proposes one of the possible classifications of pharmaceutical chains depending on the technologies used, where the following are distinguished: low-tech and medium-low-tech chains (production of essential pharmaceutical goods); medium-high-tech chains (production of generics); high-tech chains (production of patented drugs, production of biopharmaceuticals, production of medical equipment). The main conclusion the author comes is as follows: the higher the technology intensity of the pharmaceutical chain, the less defragmentation of pharmaceutical production will take place. Thus, in the production of high-tech biopharmaceutical goods, the most needed strategies will be regionalization and globalization of the chain links, while in the production of essential pharmaceutical goods, the strategy of localization and import substitution will be very successful (especially in the short term). This is due to the fact that as the technological effectiveness of the pharmaceutical chain increases, investment costs grow, which makes the efficiency of the chain’s functioning no less important than its resilience.
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spelling doaj.art-f611d652a64d4ef68aa2c6164217f4762024-02-07T10:17:10ZengMGIMO University PressVestnik MGIMO-Universiteta2071-81602541-90992022-03-0115112614210.24833/2071-8160-2022-1-82-126-1422448Restructuring of Global Pharmaceutical Supply Chains after COVID-19N. A. Volgina0Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN)In recent decades, global pharmaceutical value chains have been actively developing. Formed close cross-country and inter-sectoral ties contributed the Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the functioning of global pharmaceutical chains. The effects of Covid-19 were overlapped previously emerging trends towards defragmentation of global pharmaceutical production. The aim of this paper is to identify possible firm strategies and models for restructuring pharmaceutical chains aimed at increasing their resilience in response to the damaging effects of Covid-19. We suppose that the resilience of the chain as a whole depends on the resilience of its separate links, and we show that the restructuring of pharmaceutical chains takes place in the form of the so-called “link” restructuring (restructuring of separate links of the chain). The paper highlights such models of “link” restructuring of sectoral cross-border chain as “zero” restructuring (stock creation); localization (including import substitution); migration (including reshoring and regionalization); globalization, which operate both in the short and long term periods. The multistage nature of global pharmaceutical chains, as well as the dynamic development of pharmaceutical outsourcing processes, have created favorable opportunities for “link” restructuring. At the same time, the features of restructuring were influenced by various factors, among which the degree of technology intensity of the pharmaceutical chain takes a key place. The paper proposes one of the possible classifications of pharmaceutical chains depending on the technologies used, where the following are distinguished: low-tech and medium-low-tech chains (production of essential pharmaceutical goods); medium-high-tech chains (production of generics); high-tech chains (production of patented drugs, production of biopharmaceuticals, production of medical equipment). The main conclusion the author comes is as follows: the higher the technology intensity of the pharmaceutical chain, the less defragmentation of pharmaceutical production will take place. Thus, in the production of high-tech biopharmaceutical goods, the most needed strategies will be regionalization and globalization of the chain links, while in the production of essential pharmaceutical goods, the strategy of localization and import substitution will be very successful (especially in the short term). This is due to the fact that as the technological effectiveness of the pharmaceutical chain increases, investment costs grow, which makes the efficiency of the chain’s functioning no less important than its resilience.https://www.vestnik.mgimo.ru/jour/article/view/3061covid-19 pandemicglobal pharmaceutical value chainschain resilience“link” restructuringtechnology intensity of the chainlocalization and import substitutionregionalization and globalization
spellingShingle N. A. Volgina
Restructuring of Global Pharmaceutical Supply Chains after COVID-19
Vestnik MGIMO-Universiteta
covid-19 pandemic
global pharmaceutical value chains
chain resilience
“link” restructuring
technology intensity of the chain
localization and import substitution
regionalization and globalization
title Restructuring of Global Pharmaceutical Supply Chains after COVID-19
title_full Restructuring of Global Pharmaceutical Supply Chains after COVID-19
title_fullStr Restructuring of Global Pharmaceutical Supply Chains after COVID-19
title_full_unstemmed Restructuring of Global Pharmaceutical Supply Chains after COVID-19
title_short Restructuring of Global Pharmaceutical Supply Chains after COVID-19
title_sort restructuring of global pharmaceutical supply chains after covid 19
topic covid-19 pandemic
global pharmaceutical value chains
chain resilience
“link” restructuring
technology intensity of the chain
localization and import substitution
regionalization and globalization
url https://www.vestnik.mgimo.ru/jour/article/view/3061
work_keys_str_mv AT navolgina restructuringofglobalpharmaceuticalsupplychainsaftercovid19