Is outsourcing the solution to the practical and business challenges facing pharma firms today?

Mergers and acquisitions within the pharmaceutical industry are nothing new, writes Alan Cox, chief executive and founder of specialist outsourcing company Indigo Lighthouse. They have commanded headlines for as long as we can remember. The recent activity by Pfizer to bid for AstraZeneca is evidence that mega mergers are felt by some to be the way forward to solve the problems in the healthcare sector.

In fact the top 10 pharmaceutical companies in the world are all the result of major mergers and acquisitions as companies have sought to buy and merge a pipeline of drugs from rivals to achieve economies of significant scale. However, even with the benefits of a merger, of even the most competent companies in the world, comes an ever-growing challenge to meet the needs of a fast changing and increasingly demanding healthcare system.

Ultimately the challenge lies in supply chain management, the delivery of the right drug, at the right time, to the right end patient and therefore the optimized success of that drug.