Manufacturing & Packaging

Merck’s decision to shutter its Riverside, PA antibiotic API facility underscores how decades of cost-driven optimization have eroded domestic manufacturing of essential medicines—exposing systemic vulnerabilities in US drug supply resilience that markets alone are unlikely to fix.

The sustainable packaging company relocates its branded foam production to a more expansive Lansing site, boosting capacity, efficiency, and support for growing demand in the life science market.

In the final part of her Pharma Commerce video interview, Tina Martinez, vice president and head of global products and solutions at Cencora, explains how streamlining clinical supply services, reducing fragmentation, and piloting data-driven tools like real-time adherence tracking are translating innovation into quantifiable efficiency, visibility, and commercial impact for manufacturers worldwide.

In the second part of her Pharma Commerce video interview, Tina Martinez, vice president and head of global products and solutions at Cencora, outlines a customer-first approach to partnering with pharmaceutical manufacturers—centered on active listening, early problem validation, and iterative piloting—to co-develop scalable solutions that support late-stage clinical programs through commercial launch.

In the first part of his Pharma Commerce video interview, Arthur Axelrad, co-founder and CEO of Dispatch Science, discusses growing concerns around cargo theft and fraud in healthcare logistics—and how enhanced security features and platform innovation are helping manufacturers protect chain of custody and compliance.

In today’s Pharma Pulse, Samsung Biologics enters the US market with a $280 million site acquisition, AstraZeneca secures a multi-billion-dollar cancer deal, and new research identifies occupational drivers of long COVID.

The South Korea–based CDMO acquires its first US manufacturing facility in Rockville, MD, expanding its global footprint and strengthening biologics capacity.

Thani Jambulingam, PhD, professor of food, pharma, and healthcare business at Saint Joseph’s University’s Erivan K. Haub School of Business, describes why uncertainty around final tariff rules is forcing manufacturers into a wait-and-see position.

In today’s Pharma Pulse, major pharma players commit to most-favored-nation pricing, as DHL bolsters West Coast logistics for temperature-sensitive drugs.

The CDMO’s latest GMP-qualified line strengthens sterile manufacturing scalability.

In a discussion on global trade disruption, Thani Jambulingam, PhD, professor of food, pharma, and healthcare business at Saint Joseph’s University’s Erivan K. Haub School of Business, explains why pharmaceutical manufacturers must move beyond broad assumptions about tariffs and instead assess trade risk at the individual product level.

In today’s Pharma Pulse, Novartis and Moderna anchor a domestic manufacturing surge, while AI-driven biomarker discovery and physician well-being reshape the future of clinical care.

The pharmaceutical giant’s new 700,000-square-foot hub aims to onshore production of key medicines and strengthen the US drug supply chain.

CoverMyMeds’ Megan Wetzel unpacks the forces behind rising specialty spend, the real impact of access barriers, and how field reimbursement teams help providers guide patients through today’s fragmented system.

AI-powered control towers and digital twins are emerging as essential tools to prevent costly supply chain failures and restore operational reliability.

Welcome to Pharma Pulse, a Pharmaceutical Commerce podcast where we bring you the latest insights shaping patient access, supply chain/logistics, data & tech, and healthcare innovation. I’m your host, and let’s get into today’s headlines.

The entrepreneur urges the Trump administration to eliminate costly FDA generic drug fees, part of a broader push to scale domestic production, address shortages, and challenge PBM-driven pricing models.

In today’s Pharma Pulse, a structured exercise program is proven to manage persistent long COVID symptoms, while Regeneron commits $150 million upfront to Tessera for a gene writing therapy targeting AATD, and Strive Pharmacy invests in a massive Arizona facility to boost national personalized medicine capacity.

In today’s Pharma Pulse, a US-UK trade agreement mandates that the UK’s NICE agency raises its QALY threshold, increasing access to innovative drugs and much more.

The agreement includes exemptions for UK-produced drugs and medical devices from Section 232 tariffs, but mandates a significant change to the UK's NICE value appraisal framework.

The pharmaceutical giant will be nearly doubling biologics production in Frederick and build a new clinical supply facility in Gaithersburg, projects that will create thousands of jobs, enhance US supply chain resilience, and advance its growing rare disease portfolio.

While studies reveal the complex, varying, and long-lasting burden of Long COVID symptoms, biopharma giants Novartis and Moderna commit significant capital to new facilities, reinforcing US drug supply resilience in today’s Pharma Pulse.

This episode of Pharma Pulse discusses how Dr. Richard Pazdur’s appointment signals a new era for FDA drug evaluation, why hospitals are opposing the government’s 340B pilot program, and how Novartis is expanding its US manufacturing footprint with a new radioligand therapy facility in California.

The pharma giant’s new 10,000-square-foot Carlsbad plant strengthens its US manufacturing network and supports its overarching $50 billion investment plan committed to operations.

The investment is aimed at boosting oral medicine manufacturing capacity.