Navigating Data Standardisation Challenges in Pharma

Maintaining data integrity is a critical imperative for pharmaceutical manufacturers to ensure product quality, regulatory compliance, and patient safety. The complexity of global supply networks, coupled with the need for stringent quality control and regulatory compliance, make effective data integration crucial for maintaining operational efficiency, as even minor mistakes in data recording can have far-reaching consequences in pharma manufacturing.

In this article, we examine some of the multifaceted data integration challenges pharma manufacturers face across their interconnected supply chain ecosystem, and explore a range of innovative strategies and technological solutions they can use to enhance their data integration processes.

Data Integration Challenges

Pharmaceutical companies must contend with collaborating with multiple stakeholders, including manufacturers, wholesalers and logistics providers, collecting vast amounts of data from disparate sources to optimise inventory management, enhance demand forecasting and streamline distribution processes. The diverse sources often use different data standards, nomenclatures, and measurement units, making integration a complex task.

Despite efforts to improve data collection processes, pharma supply chain managers often struggle across different departments with fragmented, isolated data repositories, and legacy systems that aren't compatible with one another, often due to M&A. 

As we discussed in a previous article, integrating these older systems with new technologies and data sources continues to be a significant challenge, the sheer amount of data generated and the speed at which it needs to be processed can overwhelm traditional data management systems. This fragmentation hinders the seamless flow of information and makes it difficult to aggregate and analyse data effectively across a supply chain network. 

In addition, the lack of standardisation can lead to data silos, making it difficult to achieve a unified view of information. Harmonising data must be done in a way that meets the standards set by regulatory bodies like the FDA and EMA, which adds another layer of complexity to the process.

Ensuring data quality across these disparate sources is paramount, and pharma companies must implement rigorous data validation and cleansing procedures to maintain data integrity.

By addressing common data integrity challenges such as manual errors, inadequate training, and cybersecurity risks, pharma companies can build a foundation of trust and reliability across their supply chain operations. 

Strategies for Success

So, how can pharma supply chain leaders begin to ensure their data is effectively integrated and harmonised across their operations? The key lies in leveraging cutting-edge technologies to gather advanced analytics, and foster collaboration among supply chain partners. 

• Utilising advanced data integration solutions to handle diverse data types and sources and facilitate the adoption of standardised data models.

• Implementing industry-wide standards for data formats and terminologies to facilitate easier integration. 

• Investing in data quality management by implementing rigorous data cleansing and validation processes to ensure data integrity.

• Enhancing data governance by establishing clear frameworks for data usage, security, and compliance, as well as balancing data security with accessibility for authorised parties. 

• Mitigating data security risks by implementing comprehensive cybersecurity strategies. These should include robust measures such as data encryption, stringent access control protocols, and frequent security assessments. 

Data integration solutions help ensure data accuracy and consistency across different platforms. An award-winning software company, Veratrak drives digital transformation to create a safer, more secure future for the industry’s critical supply chains. We understand the critical importance of trust in the supply chain, our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of compliance, privacy, and security is paramount. 

The Hub, by Veratrak provides a single integrated software platform to automatically extract, synthesise and visualise supply chain partner data across your operations.

• The Veratrak platform is designed to maximise security for data at rest and in transit, and we enable clients to match their security requirements with configurable features to ensure data is safe and secure.

• Our platform supports various secure data integration methods and protocols such as REST API, AS2, SFTP, FTPS, FTP-PULL and AWS S3. Supported file types include but are not limited to xml, xlsx, json, csv and txt formats. We also support all major EDI messages, either Edifact/EANCOM or ANSI X12 messages.

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At Veratrak, we have a shared commitment to quality and continuous improvement. We hold the following certification: ISO 9001 Quality Management System, and ISO/IEC 27001 Security Standard. These internationally recognised standards are a testament to our robust management systems, auditing schedules, and our commitment to quality and information security.

As a software company dedicated to enhancing the efficiency and security of the healthcare and pharma industry, we prioritise the protection and confidentiality of your data. Contact us to discuss how we can help connect your supply chain.