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Medicon Valley_dec-jan
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five megatrends will transform the life-science
sector
in 2020 by uffe erup larsen there are many indications that life-science industries will be facing major changes in the coming years, as shown in a new report from courier company
dhl
. together with the analytical fi rm z_punkt,
dhl
has taken a look at the megatrends that will be affecting the
sector
in just a few years, and there is much in store for the companies involved the report paints a picture of a
sector
that in the course of the next few years will be facing fi ve major changes. first of all, the industry will be delivering certain products directly to consumers, as more and more will want to monitor their own health through different medical devices. the more widespread telemedicine and home care become, the more obvious it will become that certain medicines should be sent directly to those who
need
them. although this is an area that requires regulatory intervention, it will eventually help to create additional health care savings. another trend is that the life-science
sector
will have an even greater
need
to be able to send packages in new ways. this is something that
dhl
express is already noticing, as some customers
need
to send refrigerated biological samples, for instance.
dhl
has established a special department called medical express to handle consignments that must be kept refrigerated for up to 48 hours. other companies in the
sector
will
need
to let their courier company manage their inventory in order to minimise delivery times to the customers. traceability ensures end-users according to the report, 10% of all pharmaceutical products today are counterfeit, as are about 50% of the medicines sold through web sites. this means that within a few years end users will demand evidence of the products’ origin and traceability of them throughout the supply chain. this increased visibility means that life-science companies will be able to better manage their expenses internally because they will have a larger overview of logistics costs. it is expected that manufactu- rers of generic drugs in particular will adopt this practice to further reduce expenses. the fourth major change concerns urbanisation. according to a united nations report, people will continue to fl ock to the cities and 58% of the world’s population will be living in cities in 2025, compared to 52% in 2010. this will pose yet other infrastructure and logistics challenges for the life-science
sector
. in the cities modern lifestyles prevail, and that is the core of a consumer megatrend. there is a global tendency towards a more individualised society, where traditional relationships will decrease in importance. on the other hand, individual choices will increase, leading to greater health awareness. thus there will be an increased demand for health care products, with subsequent logistic demands. courier companies will also face demands for deliveries to previously remote locations in rural areas, opening new markets to them. finally, the fi fth major change will be that life-science companies will want to be able to send everything from medicine to biological samples in one and the same consignment. it will just be a matter of taking into account that shipments will have to contain items at various temperatu- res – some will
need
refrigeration, others not. for these companies logistics will be crucial to differentiating themselves in the market and a key factor for achieving success.
dhl
and its research partner z_punkt, the foresight company, followed three steps in identifying the fi ve megatrends and their importance. first, the most important megatrends were analysed. next, the team looked at the most signifi cant changes and growth tendencies in society, technology, politics and economics. finally, the team drew their conclusions about the logistical consequences and areas where there is a
need
to take action. the report, ”key logistics trends in life sciences 2020+”, is written as a white paper and is fi lled with details about the reality the life-science
sector
will be facing within just a few years. it can be downloaded here: www.
dhl
.com/lshc-week. there are many indications that life science industries will be copenhagen www.hoiberg.com aarhus denmark got the idea? annual review 13-14 / december-january / p14½
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