[ad_1]
With a range of COVID-19 vaccine candidates approaching the finish line, more eyes are turning to the strength of drug manufacturers’ supply chains to meet global demand. One of the drug makers leading the group, Johnson & Johnson, may be promoting a supply chain that is the best in its field, according to a new report.
Partly due to strong peer support, J&J topped Gartner’s Top 25 Healthcare Supply Chains list for the second year in a row, just as the drugmaker prepares to distribute up to 1 billion doses of its COVID vaccine. -19 in research, Ad26. COV2.S, in 2021.
J&J ranked first through a strong opinion ranking from other healthcare companies and Gartner itself, which said the drugmaker excels in finding new ways to manage its supply chain with “predictive maintenance” and technology. cutting edge digital, including “collaborative robots” autonomous vehicles and augmented reality.
“While other supply chains make remarkable progress on individual projects and initiatives, J&J is unrivaled in its commitment to finding novel supply chain solutions to the challenges of modern healthcare,” Gartner wrote.
J&J has also shone during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gartner wrote, through careful management of its high-demand products like Tylenol and by cushioning relationships with key vendors.
Further down the Gartner list were the other drug manufacturers Novo Nordisk (No. 11), Pfizer (No. 15), Roche (No. 21) and Biogen (No. 25). The list also has a high ranking McKesson distributor (number 4), a partner of the US government in the implementation of a range of COVID-19 vaccines for American patients.
RELATED: Johnson & Johnson is confident of 1B dose target for COVID vaccine next year, looking toward 2022
The robustness of J & J’s supply chain could go a long way in helping the drugmaker meet its goal of producing and distributing 1 billion doses per year of its investigational COVID-19 vaccine, which has resumed phase testing. 3 after a brief mishap due to a reported patient illness. .
This week, Paul Lefebvre, vice president of strategic initiatives and supply chain for COVID-19 vaccines at J & J’s Janssen unit, said J&J is well on track towards its 2021 goal thanks to a series of strategic manufacturing partnerships with contractors such as Catalent. from New Jersey, Emergent from Maryland. BioSolutions and smaller suppliers like Michigan’s Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing.
Building those relationships has helped J&J rapidly scale its production quotas and build a fast-moving supply chain network, Lefebvre said.
“The high speed of execution is a challenge, and also the high volume we need to produce. I think all manufacturers face the same challenges,” he said. “We have aggressive schedules, we would say, challenging schedules, but at the same time, they are realistic. We try to make sure that we can meet our commitments.”
RELATED: Game On: Pfizer, BioNTech Prepare To Test COVID-19 Shot Distribution Plan After Interim Reading
