The primary goal of Rx Response is to help make sure that medicines are available to patients who need them in times of a severe public health emergency, and an effective bio-pharmaceutical supply chain is central to this mission. The illustration below depicts how bio-pharmaceutical medicines make their way from the manufacturers to patients' medicine cabinets during periods of normal operations.

During a severe public health emergency, the bio-pharmaceutical supply chain may suffer interruptions. When issues occur, Rx Response works to facilitate communication among manufacturers, distributors, hospitals, clinics and pharmacies, as well as any responding government organizations or other partners.

The Role of Manufacturers in the Normal Bio-Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

Manufacturers that produce prescription medicines, including brand-name, generic, and biotech medicines, are the first link in the bio-pharmaceutical supply chain.  Once these products are manufactured, these companies sell the medicine in bulk to distributors and wholesalers, who are then responsible for transporting medicine around the nation and world.

The Role of Distributors and Wholesalers in the Normal Bio-Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

Distributors move the bio-pharmaceutical medicines they purchase from manufacturers to various customers, including hospitals, pharmacies and other institutions where medications are given to patients, such as nursing homes, private physicians’ offices, and clinics. The distribution network is made up of two components: warehouses that stock the bio-pharmaceuticals at various distribution centers around the country and the trucks that transport the stock where and when it is needed.

The Role of Hospitals, Clinics, and Pharmacies (Dispensers) in the Normal Bio-Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

Hospitals, clinics and pharmacies represent the last leg on the journey from the bio-pharmaceutical manufacturing plant to patients' medicine cabinets. Local dispensers keep a small amount of the medicines they are likely to need on hand to meet immediate demand. Most local pharmacies, for example, will have a certain amount of pain medication, antibiotics, and bio-pharmaceuticals for specific conditions like heart disease, diabetes, or asthma. When the local supplies begin to run low, the dispensing facility will put in an order to the distributor/wholesaler (or, occasionally, directly to the manufacturer) for more of a specific medicine.

Potential Bio-Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Interruptions

There are multiple routes and checkpoints as medicines move through the supply chain to patients' medicine cabinets. This begins with the sourcing of raw materials to suppliers and involves many components such as manufacturers, shippers, distributors, community or chain pharmacies, and prescribers. During a severe public health emergency, potential interruptions can occur at any point along this system, as depicted in the diagram below.  Rx Response's goal is to identify these breaks before or right after they occur and facilitate communications between the public and private sectors to develop a solution.