Analyst Insight: If 2012 was the year of climbing the emerging market mountain, then 2013 was the cliff. Not just for patents, but also in succeeding across multiple global markets. Quality issues, bad business practices, failure to integrate acquisitions, these were all common threads. Reputable players stumbled. Lesson learned: focusing on core business is the key to success. Many smaller non-core acquisitions such as animal health, devices, and OTC products will continue to spin off. Emerging and core markets will focus on profitability and smart growth, not just volume. - Brian Hudock, Partner, Tompkins International

Changing regulatory environments, new customer demands around the globe, challenges around product security and increasingly complex products are driving healthcare executives to make strategic supply chain investments, according to findings from the sixth annual UPS "Pain in the (Supply) Chain" healthcare survey, conducted by TNS. New technology investments and go-to-market models are top of mind as healthcare executives drive business and logistics transformations to meet evolving industry needs.

Ensuring product quality is of utmost importance to the pharmaceutical industry, and appropriate controls and oversight are required for both the drug-manufacturing process and the supply chain for pharmaceutical ingredients.

CEVA Logistics, a supply chain company, announced the official opening of the City of Pharma in Italy. The hub, which covers an area of 20,000 square meters, is strategically located in Stradella, in the province of Pavia and is fully dedicated to the warehousing and handling of products destined for healthcare distribution channels.