Clinops execs head to SCOPE to discuss impact of pandemic, war, and hyperinflation on drug supply

After a turbulent year in which clinical trial supply teams contended with war, inflation, and more, the Summit for Clinical Ops 2022. Russia invaded Ukraine in the weeks after the event, disrupting clinical trials, and much else, in the region in the process. Inflation hit 9% in the US, and topped 10% in Europe, in the months after the invasion as the world contended with an ongoing energy crisis. 

Now, representatives of top drug developers such as AbbVie, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, and Pfizer are set to meet to discuss the issues of the day, with more than 95% of people expected to attend in-person.

The supply side of the event kicks off with an interactive panel session titled “Navigating a Global Crisis: Pandemic, War, Hyperinflation, Supply Chain Disruptions…You Name It​.” At the session, leaders from Daiichi Sankyo, Otsuka, and Takeda will discuss how clinical ops leaders can manage disruptions to their supply chains on top of existing challenges including decentralization and the aftereffects of COVID-19.

Across the rest of the second day, attendees will hear leaders from companies including Bayer, Incyte, and Merck discuss the tools for tracking, monitoring, managing, and analyzing complex supply, including ways to reduce risk and cost through machine learning.

Day three at SCOPE gets underway with talks about how to manage the diverse ecosystem of a clinical supply chain network, including a presentation by AbbVie’s director of clinical drug supply management that will cover development of a tool for managing resources across all clinical trial packaging projects.

Later in the day, attention will turn once again to inflation, climate change, and war in sessions that will bring together leaders from companies including Gilead and Johnson & Johnson to talk about how to estimate the climate footprint of studies and manage the impact of world events.

On the fourth and final day, SCOPE’s clinical supply sessions will address building relationships and how to mitigate the impact of staff turnover through talent retention and development. The sessions include a presentation by the head of external manufacturing operations at Bayer about best practices for the management of service providers.