The obstacles are structural, for example legacy IT systems, siloed decision-making and fragmented procurement, which make adaptation slow. Pharmaceutical Executive has argued for tighter integration, urging companies to link sales and operations planning (S&OP) with execution (S&OE) so strategy and responsiveness are aligned. McKinsey advises stress-testing supply chains regularly and constructing end-to-end transparency. That may increase costs, but companies increasingly view resilience as a competitive advantage. Looking further ahead, AI adoption will continue to transform procurement and risk management. ESG reporting will become mandatory in more jurisdictions, forcing companies to quantify their climate impact as part of resilience planning. Cyber defences, once a peripheral concern, will be integral to supplychain architecture. And regulators in Europe, North America and Asia are expected to push for greater harmonisation of standards, creating both compliance burdens and opportunities for alignment. By 2030, pharmaceutical supply chains are likely to be judged as much by their sustainability and security as by their efficiency. Resilient, digital, diversified The pandemic was a turning point, but rebuilding pharmaceutical supply chains is an ongoing process. The model of the future will be diversified across regions, digitally visible through multiple tiers, and aligned with sustainability expectations. Resilience will not come from a single measure, not stockpiles, not reshoring, not AI, but from weaving these strands together. Companies that act early, investing in visibility, diversification and ESG-aligned procurement, will be better prepared for whatever crisis comes next. As Exiger’s Daniels warned, “Today’s supply chains simply cannot be managed without AI.” The next disruption is inevitable; whether it becomes a crisis will depend on how well preparations are made today. References 1. https://www.exiger.com/perspectives/exigerceo-commends-eo-to-prioritize-americanpharmaceutical-supply-chain-resilience/ 2. https://www.whitehouse.gov/ presidential-actions/2025/08/ensuringamerican-pharmaceutical-supply-chainresilience-by-filling-the-strategic-activepharmaceutical-ingredients-reserve/ 3. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/ operations/our-insights/future-proofing-thesupply-chain 4. https://www.exiger.com/perspectives/aitransforming-supply-chain-risk-management/ 5. https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.15776 6. https://www.zs.com/about/environmentalsocial-and-governance/zs-esg-sustainableprocurement-policy 7. https://www.pharmamanufacturing.com/allarticles/article/55251960/building-a-moreresilient-biopharma-supply-chain-in-2025 8. https://www.pharmexec.com/view/enhancingsupply-chain-resilience-amid-complexity DIGITALISATION WILL CHU Editor 24/7 BIOPHARMA 40 TWENTYFOURSEVENBIOPHARMA Issue 3 / October 2025
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