Narrative Review on Pharmaceutical Logistics Challenges in Developing Countries
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51412/psnnjp.2026.013Keywords:
Transportation, Challenges, Distribution, Medicines, LogisticsAbstract
Background: Pharmaceutical logistics is crucial for ensuring timely, affordable and safe access to essential medicines especially in developing countries. However various systemic and structural challenges such as poor infrastructure, fragmented supply chains, weak governance and limited resources undermine effective distribution. These constraints negatively affect healthcare delivery and public health outcomes. This review explored the existing literature on logistics challenges affecting pharmaceutical supply chains and proposed solutions.
Methods: A narrative review design was adopted following the PRISMA guidelines. Extensive searches were conducted across databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar using defined keywords and Boolean operators. The search targeted studies published between 2015 and 2025. Inclusion criteria focused on peer reviewed articles and reports related to pharmaceutical logistics in developing countries. A total of thirty-five articles meet all eligibility criteria and were subjected to thematic analysis.
Results: Two hundred and thirty-five articles were identified through the searches (n=235) and fourteen articles with duplicated titles were excluded (n=14). Two hundred and twenty-one articles with titles and abstracts were screened (n=221). One hundred and seventy articles had their titles and abstracts not related (n=170). Fifty-one full-text articles were assessed for eligibility (n=51). Sixteen full-text articles were excluded for irrelevance (n=16), while thirty-five articles were used for the analysis (n=35). Five major themes emerged from the included studies. Twenty-eight studies were on infrastructure and technological deficiencies (n=28). Thirty studies focused on supply chain, management and co-ordination issues (n=30). Twenty-two studies were on human resources and capacity gaps (n=22). Twenty-five studies focused on financial and economic constraints while twenty-four articles (n=24) focused on policy governance and regulatory challenges such as weak policy enforcement and corruption.
Conclusion: Pharmaceutical transportation in developing counties is constrained by a complex interplay of infrastructural, managerial, financial and political factors. While various innovations such as digital transformation and AI based tools show promise, their scalability is limited by resource and capacity gaps.
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