Continuous Revolutions: Distributed Manufacturing to Re-Shore the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

Coronavirus has demonstrated the life and death circumstances related to critical shortages of essential medical items. The U.S. dependence on foreign drug supply has intensified already serious drug shortages, and questions remain over the safety of the drugs we are able to procure. Pandemic-driven drug shortages due to supply chain disruption are ongoing and will only intensify as we struggle with burgeoning hospitalizations and critical care patients.

A sophisticated distributed manufacturing platform could be an answer to rectify supply chain disruption. This platform, coined ‘Pharmacy on Demand’ (POD) is a miniaturized manufacturing unit the size of a household refrigerator that features proprietary micro-reactors and continuous flow synthetic chemical processes to make active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and final formulated medicines. POD can make medicine from American-made chemical inputs to a finished product of a pill or liquid, resulting in complete medicine self-reliance. The flexible and distributed manufacturing capability will mitigate drug shortages during both peacetime and crisis, reducing U.S. dependence on foreign manufacturers.