This chapter examines the convergence of Industry 4.0 and Pharma 4.0 in the context of healthcare supply chains. It investigates the potential applications of these industrial revolutions to enhance the flexibility, benefits, challenges, and opportunities of healthcare supply chains. This chapter highlights the application of state-of-the-art technology to create intelligent, adaptable, and personalized supply chain systems for the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. The literature on “Pharma Industry 4.0” is reviewed, with a focus on the opportunities for sustainable value creation and pharmaceutical supply chain research. Healthcare supply chain has some serious issues like counterfeit drugs, non-transparent supply chain, unfear track and trace system of medicines and biomedical instruments. The authors identified the potential solutions for these issues with the help of current innovative technologies and practices.
Top1. Introduction
The convergence of Industry 4.0 and Pharma 4.0 presents a significant opportunity for the pharmaceutical industry to undergo transformation in the context of healthcare supply chains (Sharma et al., 2023). The present book chapter undertakes a thorough analysis, assessing the suitability, benefits, challenges, and prospects that result from the integration of these state-of-the-art technologies into health care supply chains. Munirathinam (2020) says that the term “industry 4.0,” often known as the “fourth industrial revolution,” describes the blending of digital and conventional production processes. This marks the beginning of an era of intelligent, automated, and networked systems and includes big data, the Internet of Things (IoT), cyber-physical systems, and artificial intelligence (AI).
With a special focus on the pharmaceutical sector, Pharma 4.0 aims to transform medication discovery, production, and distribution. Digital technologies are being used in the pharmaceutical industry in a number of areas, including as production, packaging, diagnostics, and analysis. Primary manufacturers, secondary manufacturers, logistics service providers/wholesalers, and healthcare providers make up the intricate network that is the pharmaceutical supply chain (Arden et al., 2021). With the introduction of Industry 4.0 and Pharma 4.0 technologies, tailored solutions, agility, and sustainable value generation are promised. It is critical to comprehend how these developments fit into healthcare supply chains in order to maximize productivity, guarantee quality, and deal with the constantly changing needs of the healthcare ecosystem (Rad et al., 2022; Shashi 2023).
To sum up, this book chapter provides a thorough overview of the dynamic landscape produced by Industry 4.0 and Pharma 4.0 for those involved in the healthcare supply chain. It aims to clear the path for an educated and strategic adoption of these technologies by methodically evaluating their applicability, advantages, difficulties, and possibilities. This will eventually improve the responsiveness and resilience of health care supply chains. (Khan et al., 2017) suggest that businesses should put more of an emphasis on technology that is explicit and facilitates the adoption of new, cutting-edge technology in the workplace. Companies should encourage their team members by giving them independence, incentives, awards, and recognition for their creative workers.
(Ghouri et al., 2023) developed and evaluated a novel artificial intelligence (AI)-based Omni channel blood supply chain (OBSC) model utilizing feedback from semi structured interviews with health care professionals working in a blood supply chain. In critical scenarios for blood supply networks, the imbalance between supply and demand is addressed by the suggested AI-based OBSC model. Blockchain technology application areas were categorized as safety and security, tracking and tracing, drug delivery, and prevention of counterfeit drugs. Preventing counterfeit drugs was the most often mentioned category, which is in line with the main goal of the pharmaceutical sector (Zakari, et al., 2022).
The objective of this chapter to address the questions is how we see the future of Pharma 4.0 with respect to industry 4.0. By analyzing the existing literature we will be able to find the current status of pharma 4.0 and practical implications in the age of industry 4.0.
RQ 1. How does Industry 4.0, also known as Pharma 4.0, address the unique technology and operational requirements of health care supply chains?
RQ 2. What obstacles can health care supply chains encounter when putting Industry 4.0 or Pharma 4.0 into practice, and how might these obstacles be overcome?
RQ 3. What opportunities and benefits are associated with the adoption of industry 4.0, pharma 4.0 for the healthcare supply chain. And how it can be maximized?