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Research notes and perspectives from Pure Chain Advisory.

Selected published research notes and perspectives. All deliverables for paid engagements remain confidential — these are general-audience pieces written for operators evaluating their own next move.

Diligence

Eight questions every operator should ask before signing a manufacturing contract

Most diligence happens after the contract is signed. The eight questions below — facility ownership, inspection history, single-source ratios — are the ones that prevent the expensive surprise.

8 min read·April 2026
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Quality

Reading a third-party Certificate of Analysis: what's missing from most labels

A COA is a sales document until you read it as a technical document. Five red flags, the section-by-section reviewer's checklist, and when to ask for a re-test versus walk away.

7 min read·April 2026
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Regulatory

Choosing a regulatory pathway for a new formulation: the four-question filter

Pathway choice is usually made too late. Four questions — category, pre-market requirement, claim restrictions, and post-market burden — answered before formulation freezes the right path early.

8 min read·April 2026
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Independence

What independence actually means in advisory work — and why we turn down half our inbound

Three categories of conflict — financial, relational, structural — and the policy that disqualifies us from operator-side work whenever a vendor relationship exists. The discipline is the deliverable.

6 min read·April 2026
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