Supply Chain

The NIH recently announced that it has started enrolling adults for a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating various additional COVID-19 booster shots. NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is sponsoring the COVID-19 Variant Immunologic Landscape (COVAIL) trial. “We are looking beyond the Omicron variant to determine the best strategy to protect against…

The tensions facing the global supply chain have been building in the pharmaceutical industry since even before the pandemic began, said Apurva Saraf, CEO of privately-held Cosette Pharmaceuticals (South Plainfield, New Jersey), in a recent interview. About five years ago, China, a central producer of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), began shutting down tens of thousands…

COVID-19 vaccine development and rollout were crucial to gaining control of the pandemic. When the success of these efforts became dependent on the ability to maintain lower than typical temperatures during distribution, the importance of reliable and continuous cold chain solutions for mRNA-based formulations was thrust into the spotlight. Beyond pandemic mitigation measures and outside…

Medtech and pharma companies continue to support Ukraine relief efforts following Russia’s invasion. Previously, the World Health Organization announced that it was sending “essential medical supplies” to Ukraine — including its first shipment of 36 metric tons of supplies for trauma care and emergency surgery and other health supplies — to meet the needs of more than…

Roche (SIX:RO, ROG; OTCQX:RHHBY) announced that it would ship 150,000 packages of the antibiotic Rocephin to Ukraine, among other medical supplies, including diagnostics. Rocephin is a broad-spectrum cephalosporin antibiotic. The World Health Organization cites it as an essential medicine. Basel, Switzerland–headquartered Roche noted in a statement that it is working with various international and local…

Earlier this year, Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) became one of the first healthcare companies to partner with Ember Technologies (Westlake Village, California), a developer of temperature-controlled mugs. At the heart of the partnership is not a smart mug but the Ember Cube, a self-refrigerated, cloud-based shipping container. Cardinal plans on first using the Ember Cube to…

HHS will fully establish a program to provide loans, grants and other types of funding to expand the U.S. health resources industrial base, the White House announced today. The news was part of a package of actions the Biden administration is taking to support American manufacturing and boost supply chains. The White House briefing statement…

Ember Technologies and Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) announced that they are partnering on the Ember Cube digital shipping box. The two companies will collaborate to offer what they are touting as the world’s first self-refrigerated, cloud-based shipping box, according to a news release. They will work together to deliver a cold chain solution designed to ensure product integrity and…

While the medical product supply chain has always been subject to vulnerabilities, those weaknesses were laid bare early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Drug and medical device supply chains have historically been susceptible to factors such as a lack of supplier redundancy, components, active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) or finished product manufacturers. But pandemic-driven sourcing and workplace…

Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) today reported mixed second quarter results and cut its EPS guidance as the company’s Medical segment continues to wrestle with inflation and supply chain problems. The Dublin, Ohio–based pharma and medtech giant reported profits of $49 million, or 17¢ per share, on sales of $45.5 million for the three months ended Dec.…