Pharma Demand Forecasting
Recommends adjusted forecasts based on real-time signals.
Data it draws on
- Historical demand and sales
- Pharmacy dispensing
- Distributor sales
- Seasonal illness cycles
- Formulary changes
Industry Solution
Decision intelligence for pharmaceuticals
Demand spikes with the illness season, trial enrollment shifts site by site, and every batch carries an expiration date. Aera senses changes across demand, inventory, and trial supply; recommends actions that protect both patients and margin; and executes them in your systems in real time.
Industry Challenges
Three of the top challenges in pharmaceutical operations
The data already exists in your systems. The cost lands in what happens between the data and the action.
Demand spikes faster than the plan moves
Seasonal illness and health emergencies shift demand in days, while the forecast cycle still runs on a monthly calendar.
Trial supply sits still while enrollment moves
Sites are stocked one at a time with no cross-site view, so one runs short while another holds stock it will never use.
Batches expire before anyone decides
Expiration risk surfaces in a spreadsheet after the window to redeploy the batch has already closed.
Aera Benefits
What your teams can accomplish with decision intelligence
Aera automates the routine decisions, augments the complex ones, and executes both in real time. Pharma teams see the payoff in five areas of the business.
Reduce excess inventory 20–30%
Rebalance stock before it becomes waste
Intelligent rebalancing redistributes stock across locations to match real demand, so product sits where patients need it instead of aging in the wrong distribution center.
Cut safety stock 15–30%
Hold less buffer without risking supply
Stock thresholds recalibrate continuously against real variability, trading buffer for accuracy while product availability holds steady.
Boost service levels 8–10%
Keep critical medicines available
Sourcing strategies and trade-offs are optimized against supplier performance, raw material availability, and demand, so supply arrives when it is needed rather than when it was ordered.
Reduce planner workload 7–10%
Take shortage triage off the planner's desk
When raw material supply is constrained, allocation models are generated from real-time data and business priorities rather than assembled by hand under pressure.
Cut expedited logistics up to 75%
Stop paying for the rush
Accurate demand sensing removes the surprises that drive last-minute freight, so expedited shipping cost falls while delivery timing holds.
The real opportunity for decision intelligence lies in driving smarter, more efficient decisions across our clinical supply chain to significantly reduce waste. It’s a complex and unpredictable environment, where traditional approaches often fall short.
Sam Mulligan
Senior Director of Digital & Lean, Clinical Manufacturing & Supply
AstraZeneca
Aera Skills™
Skills built for pharmaceuticals
Prepackaged decision logic your teams can run on day one, tuned to seasonal demand, multi-site trial supply, and inventory with an expiration date.
Real-Time Demand Sensing for Pharma
Updates near-term demand forecasts on weekly and daily horizons, then adjusts production schedules, inventory deployment, and replenishment plans.
Data it draws on
- Pharmacy dispensing signals
- Disease outbreak alerts
- Distributor orders
- Shipment movements
Clinical Trial Inventory Optimization
Recommends inventory transfers between sites based on enrollment patterns, and executes stock movements while maintaining batch tracking and cold-chain compliance.
Data it draws on
- Patient enrollment by site
- Site inventory with expiry dates
- Lead times
- Cold-chain constraints
- Batch tracking
Pharma Batch and Expiry Management
Recommends inter-facility transfers to move expiring inventory to high-demand locations, and initiates disposal workflows for expired or unsaleable stock.
Data it draws on
- Batch inventory with expiry dates
- Lot numbers
- Storage locations
- Projected demand by therapeutic area
- Movement history
Also relevant to pharmaceutical operations: Inventory Rebalancing, Dynamic Safety Stock Adjustment, Supplier Collaboration, Constrained Material Supply Management, Available/Capable to Promise, Root Cause Analysis.
Industry-Focused Resources
Explore more on pharmaceuticals
Whitepaper
Prescription for Excellence: Decision Intelligence in Modern Pharmaceutical Operations
Five benefits of decision intelligence for pharmaceutical supply chains, with customer results behind each one.
Video
Advancing Clinical Trials with Decision Intelligence at AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca, ZS, and Aera on applying decision intelligence to clinical trial supply and trial timelines.
Whitepaper
Transforming the Clinical Trial Journey with Decision Intelligence
How clinical supply moves from reactive triage to proactive orchestration, cutting triage effort and protecting trial continuity across global studies.
Blog
Optimizing Inventory in Pharmaceutical Supply Chains
How demand sensing and dynamic safety stock cut waste and prevent stockouts across pharmaceutical inventory.