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The last thing any doctor or sick American should need to deal with is a drug shortage, but this is becoming increasingly common in the United States. In 2023 there were over 300 reported drug shortages, making the problem the worst in nearly a decade. Besides the headache of raised costs and added complications, in some cases, this led to missing or delayed treatments and regrettable outcomes. One group trying to address this problem is Medivant, and their innovative approach is worth a deeper look.

The Root of the Problem

It’s difficult to pin the reasons for drug shortages on any one problem. The drivers are economic as well as systematic. Across the entire supply chain, from sourcing materials, to manufacturing, to transport, profit-driven optimization means streamlining processes to the point where there’s very little room for things to go wrong. Any hiccups in the process create delays in manufacturing, problems with the quality of the drugs, or insufficient supplies to make the drugs in the first place. Sometimes, however, it’s just the fact that demand outstrips supply, and the manufacturing of drugs is so complicated that increasing supply isn’t so easy.

Targeted Innovations

Medivant is doing what it can to address these problems directly. Their production is domestic, making the transport of supplies and products much easier and quicker. State-of-the-art quality control systems ensure that all materials that go into manufacturing are of excellent quality and are well-used to create equally excellent products. This results in a robust and resilient supply chain, which is much less likely to be disrupted at any point.

Advocacy Focused On Patient Needs

When it comes to the problem of insufficient supply against demand, the solution is the same as it is with any product: anticipate future needs and adjust quickly. Medivant is also doing what it can to advocate for streamlined regulatory processes that can enhance competition in the pharmaceutical market. Increased competition means greater supply and improved quality, as companies vie to become the most reliable and adaptable supplier.

Faster approval of generic drugs would also mean that the entire industry could react quicker to rapidly changing needs.

Comprehensive Industry Networks

Keeping the production process local and reacting quickly to patient needs is important, but it will be most effective when all involved are on the same page. The kind of quick, responsive medical innovations required to prevent drug shortages from building up requires efficient collaboration between the pharmaceutical industry, government offices, healthcare providers, and academic researchers. To achieve this, Medivant is leading collaborative networking to keep everyone involved on the same page.

With some effort and future-focused organization, every part of the medical landscape can agree about what they need to be working together on now, and what they anticipate will be coming up next. This will keep production, innovation, and invention working in tandem on current and future problems, preventing many of the unfortunate surprises that left the medical community empty-handed in the past decade.

A Collaborative, Local Future

Medivant’s plans and innovations all point to a future in which all parts of the great pharmaceutical machine are working together, and drugs are manufactured with more confidence and speed, much closer to the place where they are needed. These are realistic, concrete solutions that target the real problems behind drug shortages and seek to create new, efficient networks, where shortages are much less likely to occur at all. They’re changes that seem overdue, and, fortunately, Medivant is leading the way.

Published by: Martin De Juan