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Presenter: Naina Gianani

Faculty Sponsor: Muzzo Uysal

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Business & Economics

Session: Poster Session 1, 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM, Auditorium, A86

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic brought upon global pharmaceutical supply chain disruptions, with a significant increase in demand of antidepressants as mental health concerns arose. While many supply chain and utilization trend investigations have been carried out across the pharmaceutical industry as a whole, limited research has been conducted on how specific supply chain disruptors affect utilization trends for individual antidepressants. Using a mixed-methods case study design from secondary sources, the study aims to see the impact of supply chain disruption indicators, including API Supplier Count and Shortage Event, on drug utilization for two widely used antidepressant drugs, Sertraline and Fluoxetine. Utilization trends are investigated across the years before (2015-2019), during (2019-2023), and after (2023-2025) the COVID-19 pandemic. API suppliers count, and shortage event data from the FDA and ASHP databases are compared with retail sales and prescription counts for utilization to assess how supply links with utilization volatility throughout the given time period. Past case studies pertaining to both drugs are also analyzed to note any changes in utilization trends. By focusing on drug-level rather than aggregate pharmaceutical trends, this study provides targeted insight into supply volatility patterns specific to sertraline and fluoxetine. It is predicted that utilization trends were more volatile during and after the pandemic in response to supply chain disruptions. Findings provide empirical evidence to support more resilient production planning and proactive risk mitigation strategies essential for long-term antidepressant therapies.