Pharma Pulse: DHL's New Singapore Hub and Pharma Rethinks Go-To Market

Welcome to Pharma Pulse, a Pharmaceutical Commerce podcast bringing you the latest insights shaping patient access, regulatory policy, and healthcare innovation. I'm your host, and let's get into today's headlines.

First up, DHL Global Forwarding is deepening its bet on healthcare logistics in Asia-Pacific. The company announced it will establish a dedicated healthcare logistics facility, the DHL Singapore Coldchain Hub, at Changi Nexus One in the Changi Airfreight Centre, in partnership with Changi Airport Group.¹ The 3,047-square-meter facility, targeted for completion by the end of 2027, will be built to Good Distribution Practice (GDP) standards with direct airside access, GDP-qualified cold rooms and real-time temperature monitoring supporting shipments requiring 2°C-8°C and 15°C-25°C ranges. The investment is part of DHL Group's broader €2 billion commitment to DHL Health Logistics under its Strategy 2030 plan, and it comes as Singapore's pharmaceutical cold chain market is projected to grow at roughly 7% annually. DHL and Changi Airport Group executives framed the hub as reinforcing Singapore's role as a regional gateway for biologics and other temperature-sensitive therapies moving across Asia-Pacific.

Next, a new report from Numerof & Associates details how pharma's commercial model is in the middle of a fundamental reset. The firm's 2026 Commercial Model Survey, based on interviews with 175 executives across 67 pharmaceutical companies, found that policy complexity, led by the IRA, most-favored-nation pricing and Europe's Joint Clinical Assessment, has become the dominant force reshaping pricing, launch sequencing and portfolio strategy.² Executives described pricing and access decisions in one market as increasingly influencing outcomes elsewhere, pushing companies to evaluate launches as part of a single, interconnected global strategy rather than market by market. The report also points to a shift toward earlier cross-functional involvement, with market access commercial teams functions now shaping decisions as early as Phase 1 and Phase 2 rather than being brought in after the fact. Evidence expectations have risen accordingly, with payers and health systems demanding comparative efficacy data, real-world evidence and cost-effectiveness analyses beyond what's needed for regulatory approval alone. Organizations are also rethinking field deployment, moving from broad "feet on the street" sales models toward strategic key account management, and are making accelerating investments in AI across clinical analysis, RWE generation and customer engagement. The authors conclude that companies clinging to legacy commercial structures risk falling further out of step with a market that isn't returning to its prior state.

Lastly, the FDA has granted accelerated approval to sevabertinib (Hyrnuo, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals), a kinase inhibitor, for adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer whose tumors carry HER2 (ERBB2) tyrosine kinase domain activating mutations.³ The drug previously held accelerated approval only for patients who had already received systemic therapy. The expanded approval was supported by the SOHO-01 trial. The review was conducted under Project Orbis, with FDA collaborating alongside the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and the application received priority review along with breakthrough therapy and orphan drug designations.

That's it for this episode of Pharma Pulse. For more insights on trends transforming pharmaceutical access, visit pharmaceuticalcommerce.com. Thanks for listening, until next time, stay well and stay informed. You can catch Pharma Pulse directly on Audioboom, Spotify, or iHeart.

References

1. Changi Airport Group. "DHL Global Forwarding to establish dedicated healthcare logistics facility at Changi Airport." September 4, 2026. https://www.changiairport.com/en/corporate/our-media-hub/newsroom/2026/dhl-singapore-coldchain-hub-changi-airport.html
2. Numerof & Associates. "Pharma's Commercial Reset: How the Industry Is Rewriting the Model." September 9, 2026. https://cdn-aorpci5.actonsoftware.com/acton/cdna/5655/f-6a353041-b931-4c47-b816-67c863dd07af/1/4/Numerof%20Commercial%20Model%20Report%20-%20Sept%202026.pdf
3. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "FDA grants accelerated approval to sevabertinib for locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer." September 9, 2026. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/resources-information-approved-drugs/fda-grants-accelerated-approval-sevabertinib-locally-advanced-or-metastatic-non-squamous-non-small