Distribution Structures and Outbound Logistics

Pfizer - Covid Vaccine

Perfect Storm and its impacts on Global
Supply Chains

Presented by -
Akanksha Shukla
Dávid Reisinger 
Dinesh Balaraman 
Ola Reinseth 
Varun Kurien 
Victor Eyanga 
An overview of Pfizer
before Covid pandemic
Vaccine supply chains : production of raw materials, vaccine
formulation and manufacturing, packaging, storage,
transportation (cold chain management), and distribution.

Strategic investments : billions invest in Dublin to increase

production and inventory capacity.

Strategic partnerships : in 2012, Pfizer and BioNTech entered

into a collaboration to develop and commercialize mRNA-based
vaccines for the treatment of cancer.

Strategic acquisitions : in 2016, Pfizer acquired Bamboo

Therapeutics, a gene therapy company.
$600m invested to increase manufacturing capacity and supply
network.

Pfizer supply chain involve distributors, logistics providers, and

healthcare providers.
Vaccine supply ‘cold’ chain 
Pfizer’s Procurement during the pandemic
1. At the COVID break-out
 Global Value Chain
 +200% surge in demand
 Efficiency negotiations and dialogues

2. Procurement difficulties
 Lipids
 Vials, syringe, rubber gloves
 Dry ice
Pfizer’s Production during the pandemic
 Reallocation, investment for new manufacturing capacity
 Effective forward planning (solid IT background)
 Parallel production, 2 independent supply chains
 Partners, contract manufacturers involved
 "Miniaturized operation”, smaller batches
 Geographically distributed production
 Massive, fast scale up
Pfizer’s Global Manufacturing Facilities
Pfizer-BioNTech 
COVID-19 vaccine production 
(2022 data)

 11 sites in 5 countries
  USA, Germany, Belgium, Ireland,
Croatia
 More than 20 suppliers engaged
 Millions of doses

 End-to-end visibility
 High level of automation
 Minimized waste
Pfizer’s Distribution Strategies
 Company’s Approach:
 Partnerships with 
 Governments
 Logistic Companies
 Transportation Companies
 Specialized Package & Storage solutions.

 Signed agreements with over 100 countries to supply its

vaccines.

 Agreements included:
 Provisions for the delivery
 Distribution
 Administration of the vaccine
Pfizer developed thermal shippers for safe transport of
the vaccine:
• Pfizer created a specialized package
• Allowed the vaccine to be stored and transported at ultra-cold
temperatures.
• To maintain the cold storage temperature (-60°C to – 80°C) for up to 10
days without the need for additional cooling.

Pfizer worked with DHL and UPS to deliver their vaccines.

• Enabled Pfizer to leverage existing networks and infrastructure to transport

the vaccine quickly and efficiently

Real-time monitoring system was implemented

• Track the vaccine's distribution and administration

• Monitor the vaccines-
• Temperature
• Location
• Delivery status in real-time
Difficulties & Challenges faced

Limited global supply of the vaccine

• High demand made it difficult to cope

Ultra-cold storage requirements for its vaccines (-60°C to – 80°C)

• Posted logistical challenges, especially in countries that did not
have the infrastructure to facilitate this.
• In some cases, vaccines had been wasted due to improper storage
or handling.

Vaccine hesitancy and misinformation

• Concerns about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine
• Addressed this by providing accurate information about the
vaccine’s safety
• Partnering with health organizations to promote vaccinations and
improve vaccination rates.
Post pandemic effect on Pfizer’s outlook 
Lesson learned
Supply chains need to be
resilient and flexible
Possible by promoting
information transparency
Greater access to real time data  Michigan  Novartis site in Marburg,
Greater production
capacity
With several new COVID-19
variants and its vaccine
boosters, expanding its
manufacturing capabilities at
its Kalamazoo site in
($120 million investment, one
of the largest producers of API
in the world )
 Collaborative steps 
 Contract partnership
with DermaPharm in Germany
and Polymun in Austria for
producing formulated lipid
nanoparticle bulk.
 BioNTech purchased a former
Germany for the scale-up
production to 750M doses
per year
Novartis offered to assist
Pfizer and BioNTech with fill
and finishing work

Effective forward planning With the ministries of

and agility in  supply health, trade organizations and
relocation to meet the huge customs agencies,  to maintain
surge in demand. a strong global presence. 

A comprehensive Strengthened its

preparedness plan partnerships 
Efforts to improve Pfizer's supply
chain management
Advanced cold chain logistics 

• developed specialized packaging that includes dry ice and

GPS temperature monitors for real-time location tracking
and temperature monitoring 
• provides greater oversight of its deliveries, allowing for
quick and effective intervention.
• created a shipping container that doubles as a temporary
ultra-cold freezer 

Development of an oral
vaccine PAXLOVID (Under process)
• potential advantages over injectable vaccines 
• easier administration that doesn't require trained personnel 
• stored and transported at standard refrigeration
temperatures same as other vaccines
• make distribution easier and accessible to underdeveloped
areas.
Pfizer Distribution
during Brexit & War
Main impact on affected countries rather than
Pfizer supply chain

Brexit
 Disrupted border crossings

Ukraine
 Maintaining cold chain
 Reaching affected areas
 International aid as support
Ensuring Resilient and Sustainable Supply Chain and Distribution Network:
Lessons from Pfizer's Experience with Covid Vaccine

Agility in Supply chain

operations

Collaboration for innovation

and advancement

Technology enabled
advancement

Greater focus on quality

assurance through rapid
clinical trials

Regulatory collaboration

Smarter application of
investment at risk
Ensuring Resilient and Sustainable Supply Chain and Distribution Network:
Lessons from Pfizer's Experience with Covid Vaccine
Thank you!