HDA’s Distribution Management Conference and Expo Delivered All the Supply Chain Insights

1.     FDA is actively finalizing Drug Supply Chain Security Act implementation regulations, while also working to verify compliance with other provisions relevant to pharmaceutical supply chain entities. Perry Fri, Chief Industry Relations Officer and President, HDA Research Foundation, said that “DSCSA is shifting into maintenance mode, but there is always still work to do.”

2.     One such example is the newly finalized rule to modernize the National Drug Code. FDA presented that final rule this past week, which mandates a switch to a standardized 12-digit National Drug Code (NDC) format, moving away from current 10-digit systems to prevent code exhaustion. As I learned at the event, “NDC is used in every corner of healthcare.” Ilisa B.G. Bernstein, President, Bernstein Rx Solutions, LLC said in a presentation, “Early planning and system readiness is essential.”

FDA presented that final rule this past week, which mandates a switch to a standardized 12-digit National Drug Code (NDC) format, moving away from current 10-digit systems to prevent code exhaustion.PMMI Media Group

3.     “Change is inevitable, but our growth is optional.” That’s from Diana Kander, Innovation Consultant and New York Times bestselling author. She also said that our own success is the thing that can keep us from growing… or better explained: When we excel at our jobs, we can sometimes encounter an “Expert Plateau” where we learn less and contribute fewer ideas. But she offered ways to get around that, which include staying curious and deciding to not be a SALY (Same as last year). 

4.     The specialty pharmaceutical market is growing. The specialty pharma pipeline is changing with ultra-special therapies. But this adds complexities that the industry is evolving to address. One session addressed scalability of these ultra-special therapies. You can “manage risk via limited distribution,” says Rena Goins, Executive Director, Global Trade and Distribution, Regeneron Healthcare Solutions. While keeping distribution limited might make sense, you must decide when to expand and scale. “Look at the number of patients that need the medicine, it might make sense to keep it limited.” But there is a balance of keeping it custom and nuanced but being able to scale. “If you keep everything bespoke, it just doesn’t scale,” says Kenny Carver, Sr Director Specialty Strategic Sourcing at McKesson Corp.

5.     Cold chain shipping is also growing due to the rise in biopharmaceuticals, GLP-1 use, and specialty drugs. As a result, cold chain capacity must scale and evolve. Carver predicts cold chains will move toward decentralization, becoming more regional to reduce redundancy. The shift toward decentralized, regional cold chains is a major trend for 2026, aimed at enhancing resilience, reducing transportation costs, and minimizing the risks associated with long-haul, centralized networks. By placing inventory closer to the final consumer, companies can reduce last-mile delivery times, decrease spoilage, and improve overall supply chain efficiency.

6.     In an interesting presentation on embracing AI, Dan Chuparkoff, AI Expert, Former Google, McKinsey, and Atlassian Leader realized this: The speed at which you grasp and adopt new technology will determine your success. That’s why he is an advocate for embracing AI for what it is. And what it is is a great tool to free up tasks like communication, process, and investigation, so that we have more time for solving, deciding, and imagining. “We will always need people for that,” he said.