Pharm-Transformation: Resilience as the New Strategy – and New Opportunities for Ukraine

In 2025, the global pharmaceutical industry entered its most significant transformation in three decades. The driving forces behind this shift include unprecedented breakthroughs in biotechnology, intensifying geopolitical tensions, and the long-term effects of the global economic crisis of the 2020s.

And although Ukraine continues to endure a full-scale war and economic pressure, the very nature of these global shifts is creating a window of opportunity – including direct integration into the renewed value-creation chains.

Evolution of Supply Chains: Resilience Over Cost Savings

COVID-19 was a wake-up call for Big Pharma. The industry learned the hard way that the Just-In-Time model can quickly turn into a strategic liability. When borders shut down, global companies suddenly faced shortages of critical medicines and key components.

The events of 2020 became one of the main catalysts for today’s transformation. Pharmaceutical companies worldwide are shifting away from short-term cost optimization and moving toward resilience, predictability, and risk mitigation.

As a result, one of the defining trends today is the systematic strengthening of supply chains. It is an investment in long-term stability, driven by three key vectors:

• Diversification: companies are moving away from single-source dependence by establishing multiple supply channels for critical raw materials.
• Nearshoring and Reshoring: parts of production are being relocated closer to key markets (for example, from Asia to the EU or North America) to reduce logistics and geopolitical risks.
• Investment in R&D and digital analytics: substantial funding is being directed into biotechnology and digital tools that enhance demand forecasting and streamline the development process.

A Geopolitical Shift That Creates an Opening for Regional Players

Amid global geopolitical turbulence, countries have come to a clear realization: relying on imports of critical medicines is a strategic vulnerability. This is why governments – from the United States to India and the European Union – are now actively working to bring pharmaceutical production back home, building ʼsovereignʼ supply chains and tightening import controls.

This trend is further accelerated by U.S. tariff policy. The proposed introduction of 100% tariffs on imported medicines without local manufacturing is forcing Big Pharma to pour billions into new plants in America. As a result, the center of gravity on the global pharma map is shifting from Southeast Asia toward North America.

Paradoxically, this geopolitical rebalancing is opening a new window of opportunity for Europe, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.

This strategic priority is generating unprecedented demand for flexible, reliable, and geographically well-positioned regional partners. For global corporations, this means complex and costly restructuring. But for regional players like Sona Group, it creates new room for growth. Why?

In this new configuration, Ukraine is not a peripheral player – it is emerging as a strategic bridge between the West and global markets.

A New Strategy for Big Pharma: Ecosystems Instead of Vertical Integration

Another major trend is Big Pharma’s shift from rigid vertical integration toward an ecosystem-based model. Global pharmaceutical giants are increasingly focusing on R&D and innovation, while delegating operational processes – distribution, localization, marketing — to trusted regional partners. This is a deliberate strategic move, not a compromise.

In this environment, the role of regional companies such as Sona Group is growing rapidly. Firms capable of providing a full cycle of operational support gain a significant advantage thanks to the combination of local expertise, agile logistics, and a deep understanding of market dynamics across Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Today, speed and adaptability define success in the pharmaceutical sector.

A local partner understands regulatory nuances, pricing dynamics, physician behavior, and the logic of pharmacy networks far better.

This enables a level of precision, responsiveness, and contextual adaptation that global teams cannot match. As a result, regional players have long ceased to be mere distributors — they have become co-creators of the market. They help international manufacturers tailor their strategies to local realities, building a bridge between global brands and medical communities, fostering trust and stimulating stable long-term demand.

The outcome is mutually beneficial. Global manufacturers reduce the risks associated with entering complex markets and accelerate their regional presence. Local partners expand their portfolios, strengthen their expertise, and increase their market capitalization.