Supply chain management for online pharmacies: An exploration of operations, pricing, counterfeit medicine and technology uptake

The global online pharmacy sector is set to double its size in the next couple of years; a forecast highlighting its crucial and still rapidly emerging impact in healthcare. Using a theme-based narrative literature review covering academic publications through years 2013 to 2022, this study describes the role of Supply Chain Management (SCM) for online pharmacies by identifying and contextualising four industry-defining themes. These are namely dual-channel operations (i.e., synergies between online and traditional pharmacies), pricing strategies (e.g., balancing profitability and affordability), legitimacy challenges (i.e., are any medicine counterfeit?), and technology's transformative impact (e.g., AI and blockchain operations are paradigm-changers). The study highlights the urgency of regulatory collaboration and rigorous oversight for secure and efficient online pharmacy supply chains and exposes the reader to the current challenges and opportunities underpinning the online pharmacies’ SCM. This work enhances the academic understanding of an emerging sector and provides practical insights for online pharmacy businesses about tackling barriers that may disrupt or diminish supply chain efficiency. As the sector grows, these evidence-based insights can assist strategic decisions, policy formations, and technological progress, fostering improved global healthcare access.