Responding to and mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has catapulted its way to the top of every business operation consideration in each industry and the global market in general. One of the more vulnerable operations for the pharma and biotech industry that we anticipate will continue to require adept and innovative efforts to mitigate impact is the medical product supply chain. Disruptions to medical product supply will not only affect public health, but…
On March 9, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that in response to the hand sanitizer shortages caused by the spread of the novel coronavirus, New York State will purchase hand sanitizer from a company that employs prison labor. According to Cuomo, the goal is to make 100,000 gallons of hand sanitizer a week. This hand sanitizer will reportedly be provided to state schools and prisons. The announcement has been met with criticism from politicians…
The novel coronavirus outbreak continues to have a substantial impact across the globe. As of the writing of this post, more than 87,000 cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have been identified in 60 countries and territories around the world, claiming the lives of 2,977 people. Travel restrictions are becoming increasingly tighter at airports, with countries either imposing mandatory health screenings on travellers arriving from certain countries, or denying entry to passengers who have recently…
China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC) has announced several facilitation measures aimed at supporting businesses engaged in foreign trade successfully resume production as soon as possible. On February 16, the GAC issued various measures to strengthen, support and ease difficulties faced by businesses, simplify business registration or filing processes, and help small- and medium-sized enterprises face challenges stemming from import/export issues. We outline several key measures: Accelerate inspections. Customs authorities will aim to accelerate inspection…