Global Antibiotics Supply Sector, Structure and Main Strategies

Abstract: The discovery of antibiotics in the early 1900s saved millions of lives; nevertheless, in recent years there has been an antibiotics shortage in the European market. In the effort to solve this problem, and as part of the PLATINEA project, this research focuses on understanding the global antibiotics market structure and the main strategies used by companies within the market.  Through archival studies, including online reports, company websites, and companies' annual reports, an exploratory study has been conducted.  The antibiotics supply chain progresses through several stages including delivering raw materials, manufacturing APIs, manufacturing the product and ultimately distributing the drug through market authorization holders.  This research identifies the main company strategies, including cost leadership, differentiation, internationalization, product range breadth, and acquisition. Four main strategic groups are identified, in which companies tend to apply the same strategies in the antibiotics supply market.