Risk Factors of Supply Chain in Biopharmaceutical Companies in Iran

Background: Supply chain risk management can help companies detect potential hazards, mitigate potential risks, and thereby increase supply chain efficiency. The biopharmaceutical industry in Iran has a generic-based pharmerging market. Therefore, identifying risks associated with the supply chain of those drugs can significantly boost the possibility of success of biopharmaceutical companies. This study is conducted to determine the supply chain risk factors of biopharmaceuticals companies in Iran. Methods: The current research work is a qualitative-quantitative study. A systematic review and interview with experts (n=14) were conducted to identify potential supply chain risks in the biopharmaceutical industries. To determine the significance of identified risks, Fuzzy screening method was employed to collect the opinions of experts (n=16) in the biopharmaceutical industries. Results: By systematic review and interviews with the biopharmaceutical industry experts, 100 potential risks in the biopharmaceutical industry supply chain were identified. These risks were divided into two general categories namely macro and micro risks. Based on experts’ judgment, 77 out of 100 identified risks were eliminated and 23 significant risks were determined. The most important risks are the Ministry of health (as the regulatory body) conflict of interest, US sanctions, lack of domestic suppliers of essential materials, pseudo-productivity, and money transfer related to the bank’s sanctions. Conclusion: Due to the multitude of present risks and the impossibility of controlling all of them, it is recommended that managers and producers focus more on controlling the identified significant risks.