Medical distribution refers to the means by which pharmaceutical drugs are delivered to patients and healthcare suppliers around the world. It is an essential step in the supply chain for ensuring medical products meet the demand of patients. This article intends to break down seven ways we have globally expedited medicine distribution through developments in technology and communication.

Digital tracking

The capacity to now monitor, record and trace the movements of various medicines represents a major leap in the efficiency of supply chains. With the advancements in data- analytics, we can now see a product’s transport duration and destination in real-time.

Digital tracking thus enables more efficient inventory tracking in warehouses, regulates medicine temperatures during transport and highlights better security measures for product protection. These measures speed up the supply chain and quicken the time taken for medicine to reach the patient.

Online ordering

Online ordering significantly advances the accessibility of medicine for healthcare providers. They can now more easily acquire niche medicines without the need to buy in bulk, an often wasteful practice. It removes geographic barriers to medicine and makes it deliverable to people around the world.

Due to the nature of online ordering, it can be easily implemented into other digital systems relating to inventory management and online health records – making them more efficient. This means areas of the traditional supply chain that are normally time consuming can be greatly expedited.

Drones & UAVs

Drones and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) also play a pivotal role in delivering medicine to remote communities and areas with more limited infrastructure. They are especially efficient during an emergency response due to the speed they can be mobilised and the physical barriers they can cross.

An often overlooked bonus of drones is their significantly lower running costs after the initial purchase, as well as their lower environmental impact. They produce far fewer emissions compared to other delivery methods like cars and lorries.

Mobile health solutions

Mobile health covers a vast range of solutions for optimising the supply chain. One area includes medical apps on a patient’s phone that reminds them to adhere to their prescriptions schedule. This greatly reduces medicine wastage.

It can also relate to online prescription refills, wearable devices that record medical data and consultations with professionals through mobile services. This means patients can receive medical advice quicker and remotely – an added bonus for patient’s suffering from mobility issues.

Global partnerships

Strong global partnerships are essential since medical challenges are no longer confined to single borders. This refers to the collaboration of medical suppliers, stakeholders and government/ non-government agencies to deliver a coordinated response to issues in the supply chain.

One reason this is important is to increase the equity in the global medical community. Life- saving medicines should be delivered equally to all patients who need them regardless of their economic standing. Global partnerships can mitigate the barriers to a more equitable medicinal distribution.

Blockchain authentication

Blockchain refers to a decentralised technology that enable more secure recording and verification of transactions across networks of computers. In regard to medicine distribution, this will enhance the transparency, traceability and security of pharmaceutical transactions and supply chains.

It can be used to ensure that medicines being purchased are authentic and originate from the official manufacturers. By enhancing transparency, this creates more trust between stakeholders and patients, as well as enforcing the compliance of regulatory measures by pharmaceutical companies.

E-Pharmacies

An E-Pharmacy is an online platform that allows patients to purchase medications and services over the internet. They provide a more convenient means for individuals to acquire their necessary medicines and can offer more niche medical products that might not be found at all physical pharmacies.

A great benefit of E-Pharmacies is the range of products they offer. Patients will have access to a greater range of medical information for each product and can even choose the most cost-effective medicine. This can ultimately reduce expensive healthcare costs for patients not wanting to cash-out on big name brands.

How Masters aim to innovate medicine distribution

Masters are an international pharmaceutical company that have been supporting healthcare suppliers around the world for 38 years. They work with life-science companies to commercialise access to medicines in emerging markets, such as the Middle East and Latin America. This prioritisation allows them to meet the unmet needs of more than 75 countries and make medicine distribution more efficient under countries with often complicated regulatory procedures.