A Systematic Review of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in Pharmaceutical Supply Chain (PSC) Resilience: Current Trends and Future Directions

Shireen Al-Hourani () and Dua Weraikat
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Shireen Al-Hourani: Department of Quantitative Studies, University Canada West, Vancouver, BC V6Z 0E5, Canada
Dua Weraikat: Mechanical & Industrial Engineering Department, Rochester Institute of Technology, Dubai Campus, Dubai P.O. Box 341055, United Arab Emirates

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 14, 1-27

Abstract: The resilience of the pharmaceutical supply chain (PSC) is crucial to ensuring the availability of medical products. However, increasing complexity and logistical bottlenecks have exposed weaknesses within PSC frameworks. These challenges underscore the urgent need for more resilient and intelligent supply chain solutions. Recently, Artificial Intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) have emerged as transformative technologies to enhance PSC resilience. This study presents a systematic review evaluating the role of AI/ML in advancing PSC resilience and their applications across PSC functions. A comprehensive search of five academic databases (Scopus, the Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, PubMed, and EMBASE) identified 89 peer-reviewed studies published between 2019 and 2025. PRISMA 2020 guidelines were implemented, resulting in a final dataset of 32 studies. In addition to analyzing applications, this study identifies the AI/ML grouped into five main categories, providing a clearer understanding of their impact on PSC resilience. The findings reveal that despite AI/ML’s promise, significant research gaps persist. Particularly, AI/ML-driven regulatory compliance and real-time supplier collaboration remain underexplored. Over 59.3% of studies fail to address regulatory frameworks and ethical considerations. In addition, major challenges emerge such as the limited real-world deployment of AI/ML-driven solutions and the lack of managerial impacts on PSC resilience. This study emphasizes the need for stronger regulatory frameworks, broader empirical validation, and AI/ML-driven predictive modeling. This study proposes recommendations for future research to foster more efficient, transparent and ethical PSCs capable of navigating the complexities of global healthcare.

Keywords: pharmaceutical; supply chain; resilience; artificial intelligence; machine learning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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