International Journal of
Innovation, Management and Technology

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to identify the impact ofthe application of lean tools in the pharmaceutical supply chain(PSC) through a literature review. Supply chain inefficienciesbefore and during the COVID 19 pandemic, most applied tools,and lean improvements found in the PSC are identified.Databases such as Scopus and Proquest were used to collect thepeer-reviewed articles to be studied. Results show the mostfrequent inefficiencies in the supply chain are found in operatingcosts, scrap rates, delivery times, and drug shortages. Theimprovements identified can be summarized in three factors:cost reduction, time reduction, and improvement in themanagement of activities. The most studied tools are Kaizen,Kanban, Total Quality Management (TQM), and Value StreamMapping (VSM). Literature reveals that lean tools have asignificant impact on quality improvement of information,products and/or services, as well as on the reduction orelimination of activities that do not generate value; in addition,there is little evidence of reduction of unnecessary movements ofworkers. The value of this paper addresses the impact of thepandemic on PSC, describing the versatility that each of thetools had in their role to reduce lean wastes. The versatilityallows to identify which tool may be available according to theneed of the practitioner.