| Summary: | Information technology (IT) holds potential for transforming business practices in important ways. For example, it can assist in setting up an infrastructure which supports complex, multiparty trading and transactions among pharmaceutical manufacturers, wholesalers, hospitals, pharmacies, medical supply importers and exporters, and other players in the healthcare system. Effective use of IT can also help these healthcare organizations to reduce costs in supplying and distributing medicines and other medical-related products to the general public. However, despite high expectations for realizing the benefits of IT investments in pharmaceutical supply chain, issues surrounding its evaluation and adoption remain poorly understood and relatively under-researched. This paper presents case study findings on key evaluation and management issues in adopting and utilizing IT investments on seven Australian pharmaceutical organizations. The main objectives of this study are to: (1) examine the IT investment evaluation and benefits realization practices and processes in the pharmaceutical organizations; and (2) identify key IT investment evaluation and adoption issues and challenges within the pharmaceutical supply chain. A key contribution of this paper is the identification and examination of key issues and challenges faced by the pharmaceutical organizations undertaking IT and supply chain systems.
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