John Kelly, vice-president of strategy and transitioning sites for Pfizer Global Supply
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The pharmaceutical industry is undergoing a transition that is marked by evolving product demand, generic-drug incursion,
a greater emphasis on specialty products, and an intensification in product development for biologic-based drugs. Industry
growth patterns are shifting not only on a product basis, but on a geographic basis as well. Pharmaceutical companies are
seeking to meet rising demand in emerging markets and face a more global and complex supply chain, both on an ingredient basis
and on a finished-product level. John Kelly, vice-president of strategy and transitioning sites for Pfizer Global Supply (PGS),
recently discussed these trends and Pfizer’s manufacturing and supply strategy to address the changing marketplace.“Our mission is to have an integrated internal and external supply network to provide a competitive advantage for Pfizer by
offering fast, flexible, and innovative supply solutions,” says Kelly. That task involves aligning the company’s supply network,
consisting of both external and internal partners, with changing product demand, as well as integrating the former Wyeth network
with Pfizer’s supply network following Pfizer’s $68-billion acquisition of Wyeth in 2009.
Pfizer has 87 manufacturing sites across all business sectors—pharmaceuticals, consumer healthcare, and animal-health care.
This supply network includes 188 logistics centers, more than 500 supply partners, and more than 30,000 employees. On a geographic
basis, the company has 30 sites in North America, 20 in Europe, seven in China, 17 in the rest of Asia, and seven in Latin
America. On the pharmaceutical side, the company operates six small-molecule manufacturing sites, six biologic-based drug
sites (five for drug substances and one for packaging), eight solid-dosage facilities, and four sterile-manufacturing sites.
Additionally, the company operates six manufacturing sites for its consumer-healthcare business and 23 for its animal-health
business.
