ARTICLES BY LOUIS

• Japan And The Art Of Supply-Chain Specialization

  6/12/2017

  So you say you’re a specialist. And that’s probably a good thing. But consider this paradox: The best “specialists” are also solid “generalists.” I’m reminded of this contrarian concept by a recent visit to Japan, where I originally learned it, and the ongoing debate at Outsourced Pharma conferences regarding partnerships in the external supply chain.   

• Instant Innovation In The Supply Chain

  6/1/2017

  In our second part on supply chain innovation, executives at Biogen and Merck discuss the drug industry’s engagement with “instant innovation,” and a bottom up approach to cultural change.

• Risk And Small “i” Innovation In Pharma Outsourcing

  5/26/2017

  Innovation brings risk. Pharma is risk averse. Therefore, we have less innovation than in other industries. Most likely you’ve heard it all before. But is it valid? We talk to executives from Biogen, Merck, and Sanofi Biologics to find out. 

• Pharma's Whole-Brained Sourcing Leaders

  5/22/2017

  Today in Pharma, procurement and sourcing leaders need to be whole-brained. Left-side and right-side skills and talents have become equally important in these outsourcing activities. Are we pointing to the two sides of human intellect as perfected in procurement? Well, yes, and here’s the explanation from Pharma’s sourcing leaders themselves.

• Leadership From Retirement: Find “The Freedom To Operate”

  5/1/2017

  This is not a piece on retirement. It is, though, borne of the potential for supreme satisfaction when that milestone is attained. The “post years” will have much to do with financial means, but that feeling of satisfaction will also result from your “freedom to operate” during your decades of employment, and how you put that freedom to use.  

• Biotechs And Pharma Crystal Clear On Awards: CMOs Must Take All

  4/17/2017

  Pharma and Bio in fact know exactly what they want from their contract development and manufacturing organizations: They want it all. In errant thought at the CMO Leadership Awards leads to the conclusion CMOs can’t be good at a few outsourcing services.

• The Argument Against Outsourcing

  4/10/2017

  You never thought you’d see a headline like that in Outsourced Pharma.  But I’ve rarely heard so clearly articulated the need for a deep rationalization for outsourcing. So while this is unusual for us, the industry won’t continue its amazing progress unless clearly understanding the points against as well as our points in support.  

• Is Your Outsourcing Reliable, Responsive, And Continuously Compliant?

  4/3/2017

  “What would happen if you lined up what I'm concerned about, with the concerns of the CMOs?” asks Bob Sheroff, Senior Vice President, Technical Operations at Agios. Well, we are about to do just that at Outsourced Pharma Boston, where Sheroff will discuss: reliability of supply, continuous compliance, and responsiveness.

• Generation Z, High-Fructose Sugar … And The Pharmaceutical Industry

  3/31/2017

  Thank high-fructose sugar for pulling at least one of the brightest of a new generation into the study of chemistry, potentially the business of pharmaceuticals, and maybe even the field of outsourcing drug development and manufacturing.

• End Of An Outsourcing Era: Quality And Procurement In Balance

  3/27/2017

  For those in drug development and manufacturing outsourcing through the first decade and a half of this new century, it’s now safe to glance back … and finally put an end to an era focused on costs. A look back, and prognosis for what comes next, in an interview with William A. (Al) Kentrup, VP Global Quality Compliance and Systems, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company.