Pharmaceutical ERP

Best ERP Software for Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology

ERP for pharmaceuticals enable companies to stay compliant, assure quality and drive efficiencies to improve patient outcomes.

At ERP Research we provide independent advice and analysis for pharmaceutical ERP systems.

Top 10 ERP Systems For Pharmaceuticals

Learn everything you need to know about the best ERP solutions for pharmaceuticals in our detailed solution comparison report. We compare pharmaceutical industry ERP including SAP, Netsuite, Oracle, Microsoft, Infor and more.

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top 10 pharma biotechnology pharmaceutical erp software

Best Pharma & Biotech ERP for SMB & SME

ERP software for pharmaceutical companies that are small and midsized need to strike a fine balance between depth of functionality and cost. Below are some ERP solutions for pharmaceutical & biotech companies in the SMB space:

Pharmaceutical ERP Software

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SAP Business ByDesign

SAP Business ByDesign is a Cloud ERP solution which has earned many growing customers in the pharmaceutical industry with its integrated suite of functionality spanning sales, production, inventory, quality and serialisation & batch traceability.

FULL GUIDE
Pharmaceutical ERP Software

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Infor CloudSuite Industrial (Syteline)

Infor CSI is well suited to small and medium sized pharmaceutical companies looking for a flexible ERP solution. Infor ERP provides tight integration between key business functions with a depth of functionality for pharmaceuticals.

FULL GUIDE
Pharmaceutical ERP Software

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Oracle Netsuite

Oracle Netsuite has been the ERP for many pharmaceutical companies in growth. Netsuite provides a range of functionality enabling pharmaceuticals companies integrated financials, supply chain, manufacturing and inventory management.

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Pharmaceutical ERP Software

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QAD Systems

QAD Systems is used by many small and growing pharmaceutical companies and pharma manufacturers. This pharma ERP can scale to several thousand employees.

FULL GUIDE
Pharmaceutical ERP Software

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SAP Business One

SAP Business One is used by small and medium sized pharmaceutical companies and can provide integrated manufacturing, quality management and capabilities for process manufacturing.

FULL GUIDE
Pharmaceutical ERP Software

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Microsoft Dynamics Business Central

Microsoft Dynamics Business Central is used as a pharma ERP by several small pharma companies and has developed its own ecosystem of specialized partners.

FULL GUIDE

Best Pharma & Biotech ERP for Growing & Mature Enterprises

ERP for pharmaceutical companies that are already well established brings more functionality and greater flexibility.
Below are popular ERP systems for pharmaceutical companies that operate at scale, globally:

Pharmaceutical ERP Software

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SAP S/4 HANA

SAP S/4 HANA and its predecessors are synonymous with ERP for pharmaceuticals. S/4 ERP provides growing and large pharmaceutical companies everything they need for finance, procurement, quality, manufacturing and traceability. 

FULL GUIDE
Pharmaceutical ERP Software

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Microsoft Dynamics 365

Many pharmaceutical companies are beginning to explore Microsoft Dynamics as their pharmaceutical ERP. The solution provides a great degree of flexibility plus a large partner ecosystem that has developed many pharmaceutical industry add-ons.

FULL GUIDE
Pharmaceutical ERP Software

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Oracle ERP Cloud

Oracle ERP Cloud is a growing solution for pharmaceutical companies searching for an ERP solution. With one end to end platform, Oracle ERP Cloud sets the foundation for strong finance and operations capabilities plus HCM and much more.

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Cloud ERP for Pharmaceuticals & Biotech

Cloud ERP for pharmaceutical companies enables pharma companies to streamline their business processes without having the hassle of mainting On-Premise ERP infrastructure and support teams:

Cloud ERP for Pharma

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SAP S/4 HANA

SAP S/4 HANA and its predecessors are synonymous with ERP for pharmaceuticals. S/4 ERP provides growing and large pharmaceutical companies everything they need for finance, procurement, quality, manufacturing and traceability. 

FULL GUIDE
Cloud ERP for Pharma

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Microsoft Dynamics 365

Many pharmaceutical companies are beginning to explore Microsoft Dynamics as their pharmaceutical ERP. The solution provides a great degree of flexibility plus a large partner ecosystem that has developed many pharmaceutical industry add-ons.

FULLL GUIDE
Cloud ERP for Pharma

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SAP Business ByDesign

SAP Business ByDesign is a Cloud ERP solution which has earned many growing customers in the pharmaceutical industry with its integrated suite of functionality spanning sales, production, inventory, quality and serialisation & batch traceability.

FULL GUIDE

SAP Business One

SAP Business One is an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software that is designed to manage various business functions such as financials, sales, inventory, and operations. Pharmaceutical companies can use SAP Business One to manage their entire business process, from procurement and inventory management to production and distribution. Here are some ways SAP Business One can be used as an ERP for pharmaceutical companies:

  1. Batch and Lot Management: SAP Business One provides batch and lot traceability features that enable pharmaceutical companies to track and manage the quality of their products. This feature allows the company to identify any issues with a particular batch and trace it back to the raw materials used to produce it.

  2. Quality Control: Pharmaceutical companies are required to comply with strict regulations regarding the quality of their products. SAP Business One provides quality control features that enable the company to manage quality control processes such as testing, approval, and release of products.

  3. Regulatory Compliance: The pharmaceutical industry is heavily regulated, and companies must comply with various regulatory requirements. SAP Business One can help companies comply with regulations such as Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Good Laboratory Practices (GLP), and Good Clinical Practices (GCP).

  4. Supply Chain Management: SAP Business One provides supply chain management features that enable pharmaceutical companies to manage their entire supply chain, from procurement to distribution. This includes managing vendors, tracking inventory levels, and managing orders and shipments.

  5. Financial Management: SAP Business One provides financial management features that enable pharmaceutical companies to manage their financial transactions, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, and general ledger.

  6. Reporting and Analytics: SAP Business One provides reporting and analytics features that enable pharmaceutical companies to monitor and analyze their business performance. This includes tracking sales, inventory levels, and production costs, among other metrics.

Infor CloudSuite Industrial

Infor CloudSuite Industrial (CSI) is a comprehensive Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution that can be used in various industries, including the pharmaceutical industry. Here are some ways in which CSI can be used as an ERP for pharma:

  1. Inventory management: One of the critical requirements of the pharma industry is managing inventory. CSI can help streamline inventory management by providing real-time data on stock levels, expiration dates, and batch tracking. This helps pharma companies ensure they have the right amount of raw materials and finished products available to meet demand while avoiding stockouts and expired products.

  2. Quality control: The pharma industry has strict regulations governing the quality of products. CSI can help track and manage quality control processes, including product testing, compliance, and certification. This can help ensure that products meet regulatory requirements and are of high quality.

  3. Production planning: CSI can help pharma companies plan and manage their production processes efficiently. The solution can help optimize production schedules based on demand forecasts, resource availability, and lead times. This helps pharma companies meet customer demand while minimizing production costs.

  4. Supply chain management: The pharma industry involves a complex supply chain that spans from raw material suppliers to end customers. CSI can help manage the supply chain by providing real-time data on supplier performance, logistics, and distribution. This helps pharma companies ensure they have the right materials and products available at the right time and location.

  5. Financial management: CSI can help pharma companies manage their financial processes, including budgeting, accounting, and reporting. This can help pharma companies maintain accurate financial records and comply with regulatory requirements.

SAP S/4 HANA

SAP S/4HANA is an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that can be used by the pharmaceutical industry to improve operational efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance decision-making capabilities. Here are some ways in which SAP S/4HANA can be used as an ERP for the pharmaceutical industry:

  1. Compliance: The pharmaceutical industry is highly regulated, and companies must comply with various regulations such as the FDA, EMA, and other regulatory bodies. SAP S/4HANA helps pharmaceutical companies comply with these regulations by providing real-time monitoring and control of quality and compliance processes.

  2. Supply chain management: The pharmaceutical industry involves complex supply chains that include multiple partners, from raw material suppliers to distributors. SAP S/4HANA can help manage the entire supply chain, from procurement and production to inventory management and distribution.

  3. Financial management: SAP S/4HANA offers a comprehensive financial management system that can help pharmaceutical companies manage their finances more efficiently. It includes features such as accounts payable and receivable, general ledger, asset management, and financial reporting.

  4. Quality management: The pharmaceutical industry requires a high degree of quality control to ensure the safety and efficacy of their products. SAP S/4HANA offers quality management features that help ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and improve product quality.

  5. Production planning and scheduling: SAP S/4HANA provides tools to help pharmaceutical companies plan and schedule production more effectively. It includes features such as demand planning, production planning, and scheduling, and capacity planning.

  6. Sales and marketing: SAP S/4HANA offers features that help pharmaceutical companies manage their sales and marketing activities. It includes tools for customer management, lead tracking, campaign management, and sales forecasting.

NetSuite

NetSuite can be used as an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system for the pharmaceutical industry by providing various features and functionalities that can support the unique needs of the industry. Here are some ways NetSuite can be used in the pharmaceutical industry:

  1. Inventory Management: The pharmaceutical industry requires careful tracking and management of inventory due to the highly regulated nature of the industry. NetSuite can provide real-time visibility into inventory levels, expiry dates, and lot numbers, allowing pharmaceutical companies to ensure compliance with regulations and prevent wastage of inventory.

  2. Compliance Management: The pharmaceutical industry is highly regulated, with strict requirements for documentation, reporting, and quality control. NetSuite can help pharmaceutical companies manage compliance by providing tools for tracking and documenting all aspects of production and distribution, ensuring that all processes meet regulatory requirements.

  3. Financial Management: NetSuite can provide comprehensive financial management capabilities, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger, and financial reporting. Pharmaceutical companies can use NetSuite to track and manage finances across multiple locations, currencies, and entities, and provide visibility into financial performance.

  4. Sales and Distribution: NetSuite can provide tools for managing sales and distribution processes, including order management, pricing, and fulfillment. Pharmaceutical companies can use NetSuite to manage orders, track inventory levels, and ensure timely and accurate delivery of products to customers.

  5. Manufacturing Management: NetSuite can help pharmaceutical companies manage the manufacturing process, from raw materials to finished products. NetSuite provides tools for managing production schedules, tracking production costs, and ensuring quality control at every stage of the manufacturing process.

  6. CRM: NetSuite's Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system can help pharmaceutical companies manage relationships with customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders. NetSuite can provide tools for managing sales leads, tracking customer interactions, and ensuring customer satisfaction.

Pharmaceutical ERP Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best ERP for the pharmaceutical industry?

The best ERP for pharma is generally considered to be SAP. However the answer really depends on the requirements of your pharmaceutical, biotech or life sciences business. If your organization is a multinational pharmaceutical manufacturer with hundreds or thousands of employees, then sure SAP is probably the right answer.  However, if your pharmaceutical or biotechnology business is smaller then there could be several answers. We see small life sciences companies using more nimble ERP solutions such as Oracle Netsuite, Oracle ERP Cloud, Odoo, Infor Cloudsuite Industrial and more. 

What are the key features and modules of pharma ERP software?

ERP software for pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and life sciences business includes all of the typical modules within almost all ERP systems including:

  • Financial Management & Accounting
  • Sales & Distribution
  • Supply Chain
  • Procurement
  • Manufacturing & Production
  • Human Resources
  • Reporting & Analytics
    Plant Maintenance
  • Asset Management

However, the best ERP solutions for pharmaceuticals also tend to include industry specific modules and functionalities which include:

  • FDA,  MHRA compliance.
  • Recipe Management
  • Life sciences ISO certifications.
  • Traceability
  • Batch Management
  • Serialization
  • Recipe Management
  • SOX Compliance
  • Audit Trails

How much does ERP for pharmaceuticals cost?

Costs for ERP in the pharmaceutical industry can range from $100,000 in Year 1 to several millions. Pharma ERP costs are typically made up of software licensing, support and implementation. 

Increasingly, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are turning to Cloud ERP software solutions which are paid for on a subscription basis. Annual fees for Cloud ERP software for pharma can range anywhere from $500-2000 per user.

Support costs are typically a percentage of your software license cost and can fluctuate depending on the level of support your organization requires and how many hours of support you consume. 

Life sciences and pharmaceutical ERP implementations are often the biggest up front cost and will depend on the pharma ERP software you choose, your organizations size, the ERP project scope and your resourcing model.

Can Pharmaceuticals companies use Cloud ERP?

Cloud ERP for Pharmaceuticals does exist and is used by many pharma companies. Additional effort and care must go into upgrading and revalidating your business processes but the benefits often outweigh the issues this can cause.

Benefits of using ERP

Key ERP Modules & Features for Pharmaceuticals

ERP systems allow companies in the pharmaceutical & biotechnology industry to share data amongst different departments, eliminating information silos whilst enabling them to handle compliance and regulatory measures easily. 

But what is the key ERP functionality for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies? Which ERP modules are critical for pharmaceutical companies?

Accounting and Financials

Pharmaceutical ERP enables you to unite financials across multiple entities and geographies with tight integration to key pharmaceutical business processes.

Purchasing

Enable compliance and cost control with pharmaceutical ERP that provides approval matrixes, purchase requisitions, orders and control.

Production

Integrate with contract manufacturing organizations (CMO) or run production in house with pharmaceutical ERP that enables easy compliance and traceability.

Inventory Management

Monitor stock and inventory across multiple locations and perform real time valuations in pharmaceutical ERP software.

Quality Management

Modern pharmaceutical ERP gives you the power to control quality at all steps of your internal processes to ensure you can

Asset Management

Manage fixed assets within your pharmaceutical ERP solution and convert your R&D spend to assets on your balance sheet with pharmaceutical ERP.

Reporting and dashboards

Get one view of your pharmaceutical operation with inbuilt reporting and dashboards for your ERP solution.

Expenses Management

Automate expenses requisitions and approvals for your sales team or R&D team within your ERP system.

Sales management

Track & plan sales pipeline, score leads, prospects and forecast opportunities in real-time across territories, accounts and teams.

Customisation

Flexible ERP software that's built on an open and extensible foundation, allowing you to choose the features that suit your business needs.

Mobility

Access your ERP data at any time so you're more available to customers and take advantage of unexpected opportunities as they surface.

Updates and maintenance

Backed by the consistency of market-leading vendors, ERP software regularly updates to ensure an optimal user experience.

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Compare Pharmaceutical ERP Solutions

Find & Compare ERP Software for the Pharmaceuticals Industry

Use our free tool to find and compare the market leading ERP software and solutions for pharmaceuticals. See how ERP system solutions including NetSuite, Epicor, Infor & SAP Business One stack up against the competition.