Article: Leveraging data-driven decision-making for medicine supply chain resilience during health crisis Journal: International Journal of Intelligent Enterprise (IJIE) 2025 Vol.12 No.2 pp.190 - 208 Abstract: The study was conducted to identify medicine and its therapeutic segments which had suffered sourcing and stockout challenges at the grass-root level during the pandemic time. An exploratory and descriptive study was conducted using primary data from sampled private retail pharmacy business stores. Factors like the name of the medicine, their therapeutic segment, geographical location, and the timeline of the events, were captured to analyse drug shortage along. The study indicated an acute shortage of medicine including antibiotics, antiviral, and supplements during the pandemic, due to disruption in the medicine supply. There was a high correlation between the incidence of infection cases and the drug shortage, which suggests the rise in demand for essential medicine especially antibiotics and supplements following the rise in the cases. The study provides a recommendation to pharmaceutical organisations, suppliers, and policymakers, to effectively handle sourcing and supplies to counter stockout situations. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: Leveraging data-driven decision-making for medicine supply chain resilience during health crisis

Authors: Rahul Sharma; Surya Prakash; Sudhir Arora; Ashok Kumar Peepliwal; Sudhinder Singh Chowhan

Addresses: IIHMR University, 1 PD marg, Sanganer, Jaipur, Rajasthan, 302029, India ' Great Lakes Institute of Management, Bilaspur-Tauru Road, Near Bilaspur, Chowk, NH-8, Gurugram, Haryana 122413, India ' IIMT College of Pharmacy, Plot No. 19 & 20, Knowledge Park III, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201310, India ' IIHMR University, 1 PD marg, Sanganer, Jaipur, Rajasthan, 302029, India ' IIHMR University, 1 PD marg, Sanganer, Jaipur, Rajasthan, 302029, India

Abstract: The study was conducted to identify medicine and its therapeutic segments which had suffered sourcing and stockout challenges at the grass-root level during the pandemic time. An exploratory and descriptive study was conducted using primary data from sampled private retail pharmacy business stores. Factors like the name of the medicine, their therapeutic segment, geographical location, and the timeline of the events, were captured to analyse drug shortage along. The study indicated an acute shortage of medicine including antibiotics, antiviral, and supplements during the pandemic, due to disruption in the medicine supply. There was a high correlation between the incidence of infection cases and the drug shortage, which suggests the rise in demand for essential medicine especially antibiotics and supplements following the rise in the cases. The study provides a recommendation to pharmaceutical organisations, suppliers, and policymakers, to effectively handle sourcing and supplies to counter stockout situations.

Keywords: stockout; pharmaceutical supply chain; drug retail; inventory control.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIE.2025.145649

International Journal of Intelligent Enterprise, 2025 Vol.12 No.2, pp.190 - 208

Received: 18 Oct 2023
Accepted: 06 Mar 2024
Published online: 11 Apr 2025 *

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Title: Leveraging data-driven decision-making for medicine supply chain resilience during health crisis

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