“The role of CDMOs is already critical — and this level of ambiguity makes it all the more critical.”
Ryan Kelly, Interim CEO of Rx-360, has spent years helping pharmaceutical manufacturers and their supply chain partners prepare for the unexpected. Rx-360 is a nonprofit member consortium of approximately 130 manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and contract logistics providers united by a single mission: safeguarding the quality and security of the global pharmaceutical supply chain.
Speaking at CDMO Live 2025, Ryan shares his practical advice on supply chain mapping, business continuity planning, and the technology investments that separate resilient organizations from reactive ones — and explains why CDMOs are increasingly central to that resilience strategy.
Know Your Supply Chain — All the Way Down
The foundation of any resilience strategy, Ryan argues, is visibility. Not just into tier-one suppliers, but into who those suppliers rely on.
“In many cases, your primary supplier and your secondary supplier may be sourcing from the same supplier. Make sure you understand those dependencies.”
This blind spot has caught manufacturers off guard repeatedly. Dual-sourcing strategies that look robust on paper can collapse when both sources trace back to a single upstream facility — a lesson the pandemic made painfully clear.
When Disruption Hits: The Iberian Power Outage as a Case Study
When a major power outage swept across Spain, Portugal, and France, Rx-360 members with regional operations didn’t scramble — they executed.
“They moved immediately to redundant power, secured high-value medications, and maintained quality and efficacy. When operations resumed the next day, they had triage plans ready — they knew which patients and healthcare providers to prioritize.”
That same window fell before a bank holiday, adding further pressure. The members who performed best had documented continuity plans, real-time inventory awareness, and clear escalation protocols already in place. The lesson isn’t that disruption is avoidable. It’s that preparation determines how fast you recover.
When Disruption Hits: The Iberian Power Outage as a Case Study
When a major power outage swept across Spain, Portugal, and France, Rx-360 members with regional operations didn’t scramble — they executed.
“They moved immediately to redundant power, secured high-value medications, and maintained quality and efficacy. When operations resumed the next day, they had triage plans ready — they knew which patients and healthcare providers to prioritize.”
That same window fell before a bank holiday, adding further pressure. The members who performed best had documented continuity plans, real-time inventory awareness, and clear escalation protocols already in place. The lesson isn’t that disruption is avoidable. It’s that preparation determines how fast you recover.
Technology as a Resilience Tool
One of the clearest lessons from COVID-19 was the payoff of investing in supply chain technology. Ryan points to IoT sensors integrated with ERP, capacity planning, and demand forecasting systems as the infrastructure that separates reactive companies from resilient ones.
Regulatory frameworks are pushing the industry in the same direction. The FDA’s Drug Supply Chain Security Act and Europe’s Falsified Medicines Directive are raising traceability requirements — creating both compliance pressure and a real visibility dividend for manufacturers who invest ahead of the curve.
Looking Ahead: Innovation Driven by the Patient
Ryan’s two-to-three-year outlook starts deliberately at the patient level. Direct-to-consumer pharmacy models, telehealth, connected devices, and faster delivery expectations are reshaping what the supply chain needs to deliver.
“Manufacturers need to understand they don’t just have a single supply chain — every product has its own unique set of supply chains. Knowing all of those gives you the flexibility to meet customers where they are.”
Companies that can map, monitor, and adapt at a product level will be best positioned to compete as patients take greater ownership of their own healthcare.
Supply Resilience at CDMO Live Europe 2026
Ryan will be hosting a roundtable at CDMO Live Europe (May 19–21, Rotterdam): Supply Resilience: How to Navigate Global Supply Chain Uncertainty. It’s a session that couldn’t be more timely. Register for CDMO Live Europe 2026
