In this Leaders in Pharma Spotlight, Myrna Wilson, Global Director of Strategic Growth and Technical Sales for Univar Solutions Pharmaceutical Ingredients, shares the critical role of your pharmaceutical distribution partner in delivering quality, security of supply, and ingredient innovation. 

With 20 years of global experience in manufacturing and logistics industries, Myrna Wilson leads a team of pharmaceutical and distribution experts in delivering innovative and customized solutions for customers.

Here are 5 important considerations and challenges to know in 2024 when choosing your trusted partner for pharmaceutical ingredient distribution:

Whether pharmaceutical manufacturers are in clinical trials phases where small batches and sampling may be needed or scaling up to demand the potential rail car requirements of mass commercialization, distributors can add significant, differentiated supply chain value if they own every mile of delivery. With access to specialty ingredient options from a diverse range of leading suppliers, customers can streamline logistics while often identifying cost-savings, sustainability benefits, and beyond.

Between patent battles, competing offerings, and the massive cost of taking a drug from clinical trials to commercialization, the pharmaceutical product development pipeline should be fueled constantly. Simultaneously prudent, reliable sourcing and cost implications must be part of the planning as production scales up. Drug manufacturers can leverage distributor partnerships to weigh commercial project viability in early trial phases. This helps ensure formulations consider scalability, quantity pricing, and security of supply of materials and ingredients. By partnering early, quality distribution partners can find the right ingredients, provide secondary sources of supply, and design efficient supply chains that consider quality and supply from small batch quantities up to mass production. As a leading, global distributor, that is exactly the type of partnership Univar Solutions strives to achieve.

The past several years have tested the grit of chemical and ingredient distribution and the pharmaceutical industry like never before. The COVID-19 pandemic and other emergent events highlighted the need for distributors to be agile and provide custom solutions tailored to address the pain points of pharmaceutical manufacturers.  

The pandemic delivered very clear demands on critical ingredients for medicines and products, including hand sanitizer, respiratory therapy drugs, and, eventually, COVID-19 vaccines. Along with a need to rapidly shift ingredients from focused areas to emergency production, the pharmaceutical industry faced pressure that has changed how distributors, suppliers, and manufacturers operate.

With supply constrained and demand in rapid flux, distributors played a critical role throughout the pandemic in identifying multiple sourcing options and then allocating raw and specialty materials where they were needed most. As partners to the industry, distributors learned that, though the response may be global, we must consider local supply options for critical resources. Univar Solutions successfully dug into this task applying 100 years of chemical and ingredient distribution expertise, broad and deep partnerships with hundreds of suppliers, and unique capabilities in both pharmaceutical and logistics industries. 

Security of supply is hard to achieve considering how many unpredictable situations can disrupt availability. For example, if a manufacturer’s plant production is shut down for any reason, anywhere in the world (permanently or temporarily), the impact has potential to ripple across the entire market. This is where the evolution of the distributor’s role plays a huge part.

Our people are highly trained and technical, understand our customers’ demands and pain points, and seek to deliver much more than just products. Our dedicated product managers and application specialists aim to use their technical, industry, and market knowledge to solve problems with a diverse and extensive portfolio of ingredients, including APIs, excipients, bioprocessing ingredients, and high-purity solvents. Univar Solutions is proud to have dedicated teams who monitor quality, regulatory changes, and documentation requirements on behalf of customers. 

First, it is important to note that the pharmaceutical industry as a whole is facing a large patent cliff in the near term that has the potential to significantly impact manufacturers worldwide. With many established products going “off-patent,” the doors open to competitors grabbing market share with generic drugs at reduced price offerings. This alone is creating urgency among players in the generics space to get their Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs) in place quickly so they can enter the market as soon as patents expire. For the large pharmaceutical companies (i.e., the patent-holders), the hope is to have another blockbuster drug right around the corner. With the time, investment, and research and development resources it takes to bring a drug from clinical trials to mass commercialization, big pharmaceutical companies must constantly look to refill their development pipeline to keep substantial revenues flowing.

In addition to the patent cliff, the ingredients industry is constantly in flux as it must continuously respond to global supply chain challenges and – specifically as it pertains to pharmaceuticals – the need and pressure for manufacturers to constantly improve the medicinal efficacy of their offerings. Other industry pressures come by way of continually evolving and enhancing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards. The increased focus on ESG goals means the ingredients industry must operate with environmental footprint considerations at the forefront; we can do this by partnering to help customers reach their ESG goals.

Further market changes become a little harder to predict as they are driven by technological developments and research spanning all of life sciences. For example, personalized medicine is one area that could transform the market tremendously: medicines developed based on each person’s body have great potential in years to come.

As a leader in chemical distribution, Univar Solutions brings products to market by leveraging deep expertise and a reliable and resilient global network. We differentiate ourselves through tireless efforts to sharpen our business model and position ourselves and our customers for long-term success. Over the years, our focus has shifted from being a traditional chemical distributor to a distributor with a full line card of specialty and foundational chemicals and ingredients not just for pharmaceuticals, but for all aspects of health and nutrition -- including high quality food ingredients, nutraceuticals, and beyond. Having a specialties focus in each of these areas, allows us to share learnings and innovations across them while leveraging specialists with unique expertise within each. Additionally, Univar Solutions delivers a full suite of value-added technical, supply chain, inventory planning, storage, and sustainability solutions to customers supporting this diverse array of end markets.

At Univar Solutions, we believe industry leaders must continue to deliver safe and reliable supply to meet market demands and adapt to the latest technologies to innovate, streamline, and grow. By expanding sustainable and natural product offerings and connecting customers to the essential chemicals and foundational ingredients vital to our daily lives using digital tools and advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), Univar Solutions can stand out as a value-added partner in distribution.

Lastly, by dedicating time, resources, and expertise to customers and suppliers on a regional and local level, Univar Solutions can deliver more ingredients and products globally than ever before – bringing value and services to markets and populations that have long-needed access to quality products from leading suppliers. Whether it’s delivering key ingredients for medicine, food, and personal care or serving customers with formulation support from our global Solution Centers, we pride ourselves on supporting diverse industries and customers with custom supply chain solutions.

• Biopharmaceutical
• Nutraceutical
• Drug synthesis
• Dental

• Medical device
• Ophthalmic
• Diagnostics
• Animal health

Myrna Wilson currently serves as the Global Director of Strategic Growth and Technical Sales for Univar Solutions Pharmaceutical Ingredients. With 20 years of global industry expertise, she currently leads a team of pharmaceutical and distribution specialists committed to delivering one of the most expansive pharmaceutical ingredient portfolios in the world.

Myrna has a proven track record of driving commercial growth and profitability across diverse global industries, has successfully led organizations through complex change management scenarios, and has worked in several international markets. Myrna holds a bachelor's degree in accounting and a master's degree with dual concentrations in strategic management and finance from Sam Houston State University. She is currently based out of Houston, Texas.