Supply chain management (SCM) within the researching pharmaceutical industry is characterized by specific requirements: Especially regulations, a high value of the products with corresponding requirements on (anti counterfeit -) security and long cycle times characterize this industry. This article shows which key performance indicators supply chain managers at the biggest researching pharmaceutical companies use currently, how they change in the future and which implications can be derived from that. The findings mainly base on an interview series with 11 of the global TOP20 highest-grossing, researching pharmaceutical companies (ranking according to [1]) as well as a literature analysis and a single case study conducted at one of the companies.
