SANOFI
“The world has changed over the past two years – in the supply chain , in the clinical supply chain , and across the pharmaceutical supply chain ”
ARNAUD DOURLENS HEAD OF CLINICAL SUPPLY CHAIN OPERATIONS , SANOFI
The healthcare sector is aware that it is moving into an era where the cost of drugs and products is high , due to supply chain complexity , in addition to the development of drugs . The clinical supply chain has the ability to influence the way Sanofi performs the trials – something Dourlens ’ team is working on each day .
“ We know that , in the near future , trial design is going to be more and more complex ,” he says . “ We will be adjusting the design in the course of the trial , depending on the results ; it ' s what we call adaptive trial design .”
Sanofi ’ s supply chain must have the agility and flexibility to follow the changes it hopes to enact , though there are analytics tools on-hand to improve productivity , resilience and sustainability .
“ To have an important impact and run successful , innovative therapies , we must avoid bottlenecks linked to drug supply and we must then guarantee that the treatment is available to the patient as quickly as possible ,” says Dourlens .
“ We ’ re not getting drugs that are similar for everybody ; this is a tailor-made supply chain . I like to say that it ’ s an haute-couture
68 February 2023