Pharmaceutical supply chain management faces specific challenges and risks under economic sanctions. In these circumstances, sanctions can have serious impacts on the supply chain and its performance. The emergence of new processes in the environment of companies and organizations, such as the political relations of governments, and sanctions inside and outside the company, causes supply chains to face new and diverse risks every day. In such an environment, it is not possible to manage the organization without paying attention to the risks of the supply chain, and the administration and leadership of the organization will need to identify, prioritize, and monitor the components related to supply chain risks.
Achieving such a goal requires examining and identifying the development of a framework for supply chain risk management components.
Risk and failure in the supply chain can have a significant impact on short-term performance and a negative long-term impact on the financial performance of the organization. Therefore, supply chain risk management is essential to reduce failures caused by various risks such as uncertain economic cycles, uncertain customer demand, and unpredictable natural and human disasters. For supply chain risk management, especially in the pharmaceutical industry, there is no complete and accurate model that can identify and analyze the various components and dimensions of this phenomenon.
The country's pharmaceutical industry, as one of the most important industries with investment and employment potential, is one of the fundamental concerns of health and treatment systems. Because the pharmaceutical industry supply chain is the main part of healthcare systems in distributing medicines to the community. Supply chain risks can waste resources and also worsen the performance of the drug supply chain. Therefore, proper identification and analysis of risk components in developing strategies to minimize risk in the drug supply chain is something that should be addressed, especially since pharmaceutical products are fully controlled products and are under the legal supervision of public regulatory authorities.
Considering the meaning of each code, each category is categorized into its own similar concepts.
Therefore, the innovative aspect that can be considered for this research is having an integrated and holistic approach to the phenomenon of supply chain risk management in the pharmaceutical industry, so that, like the systematic approach of Corbin and Strauss in the data-driven theory, the phenomenon in question is divided into main dimensions, namely drivers (causal conditions), background conditions, intervening conditions, consequences, strategies, and supply chain risks as the main phenomenon, and the prioritization of the characteristic codes is done in each dimension.
The aim of this study is to identify and classify the risk management of the pharmaceutical supply chain under economic sanctions. For this purpose, using the meta-synthesis methodology of Sandelowski and Barso (2007), categories and groups related to supply chain risk were identified and coded.
Then, through content analysis using the meta-synthesis method, the results and achievements of previous research were analyzed. Out of 113 articles reviewed, only 19 articles were selected for analysis. Finally, the different aspects of pharmaceutical risk management under economic sanctions were classified into three main dimensions including internal, external and logistics and financial risk, 14 sub-dimensions and 29 characteristic codes.
Then, using the structural equation method and based on the initial model presented in the meta-synthesis method, a proposed model for supply chain risk management under economic sanctions for the pharmaceutical industry was presented.
In this research, an attempt was made to examine the components of supply chain risk management under economic sanctions in the pharmaceutical industry using the meta-synthesis method.
The results of this study show that the imposition of economic sanctions creates severe disruptions that pose significant risks to supply chain operations. The pharmaceutical industry plays a critical role in ensuring public health by providing essential medicines and treatments. However, under economic sanctions, supply chains in this sector face unprecedented challenges that threaten their stability and performance.
The results of the research showed that the risks facing supply chain management in the pharmaceutical industry under economic sanctions have their own subcategories, attention to which can significantly reduce supply chain-related risk. The importance and attention to organizational, management, production, quality, and technology risks, which are all subcategories of internal risk in the supply chain management process, can vary depending on the strategies appropriate to the pharmaceutical industry under economic sanctions.
The results of this study show that the imposition of economic sanctions creates severe disruptions that pose significant risks to supply chain operations. The pharmaceutical industry plays a critical role in ensuring public health by providing essential medicines and treatments. However, under economic sanctions, supply chains in this sector face unprecedented challenges that threaten their stability and performance. For example, supply risk arises from disruptions in the supply of raw materials or active pharmaceutical ingredients and from the inability to procure essential raw materials, components or services due to restrictions imposed by sanctions.
Suppliers may face operational challenges or cease operations altogether, forcing businesses to seek alternative sources. This often results in increased costs and longer delivery times. Market risks refer to changes in market dynamics, such as fluctuations in demand or shifts in consumer behavior. Technological risk involves the inability to access advanced manufacturing technologies or software due to restrictions imposed by sanctions. This can hinder innovation and reduce operational efficiency.
Sanctions often limit access to advanced technologies, software, and equipment essential to maintaining competitive operations. This creates technological obsolescence and hinders innovation. Organizational risks arise from internal inefficiencies or mismanagement within pharmaceutical companies. These include poor communication, inadequate resource allocation, and inadequate strategic planning. Organizational risk arises from internal inefficiencies and the inability to adapt quickly to external disruptions caused by sanctions.
Production risk is associated with disruptions to production processes, often due to shortages of raw materials, outdated equipment, or labor constraints. Sanctions can disrupt production processes by restricting access to essential inputs or creating operational inefficiencies. This may result in delays, reduced output quality, or a complete halt to production. Management risks relate to the ability of leadership to respond effectively to crises. Poor decision-making or a lack of contingency planning can exacerbate the impact of sanctions.
Economic sanctions often lead to disruptions in the flow of raw materials, delays in manufacturing and distribution processes, and increased operational costs. Sanctions often restrict access to essential resources, constrain market activities, and create uncertainty in the legal and regulatory environments. The present study seeks to categorize and analyze the various risks that emerge in pharmaceutical supply chain management under economic sanctions. By doing so, it helps develop strategies to mitigate these challenges and increase supply chain resilience.