In the life sciences sector, the phrase "from lab to jab" is sometimes used as shorthand for the journey required to bring new therapies, vaccines, and medical devices from concept to clinical use. Each step of that journey requires a specific type of premises, which could be a lab, a clinical trials facility, a manufacturing plant, or some form of clinic, hospital or community pharmacy.
In this article, we focus on the distribution of pharmaceuticals. This market is a critical yet intricate part of the healthcare supply chain, operating under strict regulatory frameworks and requiring specific features such as temperature-controlled warehouses.
Despite the technical challenges, the sector has proved attractive to a wide range of real estate investors:
- AEW’s LOGISTIS platform (whose investment philosophy is combining Core-, Manage to Core- and Build to Core strategies across Europe)
- Henderson Park (who acquire under-managed or under-invested institutional assets in prime locations across Europe and transform them into core products, delivering a return primarily through capital gain)
- IPUT Real Estate Dublin (whose core fund is focused on office, logistics and retail assets in Dublin).
- Intervest Offices and Warehouses (a listed company specialising in logistics assets in Belgium and the Netherlands)
As we delve deeper into the specifics of pharmaceutical logistics, it’s important to consider how companies manage the task of distribution.
