A robust product delivers a reliable solution to the pharmaceutical cold chain

Secure transit packaging is crucial to protect temperature critical pharmaceutical deliveries. Martin Hawes, Global Head of Product Development at Tower Cold Chain, explains how its solutions are built to last – and why some are still in active use after 15 years.

At its simplest, logistics is the art of getting a product from A to B.  When it comes to the pharmaceutical cold chain, however, nothing is ever this simple. Factor in the high value of pharmaceutical goods, their perishable nature and susceptibility to temperature changes, the urgency of demands from healthcare practitioners to meet patient care and the numerous (often uncontrollable) complexities of the supply chain, the reality is more like getting from A to Z.

What can go wrong in transit? Containers, and their contents, might get damaged. Drugs may be subject to temperature excursions that render them ineffective. And so many stakeholders are involved that managing these elements is further challenged and the risks increase. Just to take one leg of the journey, the IATA reports that 52% of all temperature excursions occur whilst a shipment is under the control of an airline or within the airport environment.

The impact of this on the pharmaceutical industry is substantial. According to the Institute for Human Data Science, the biopharma industry loses approximately $35 billion annually as a result of failures in temperature-controlled logistics.

Clearly, this is a situation that nobody wants – but nor is it one that any pharmaceutical manufacturer should be worrying about. The baseline requirement for pharmaceutical logistics is that goods arrive on time, undamaged and with no temperature excursions. It’s here that the choice of the most appropriate cold chain solution makes all of the difference.

For full article please visit: https://international-pharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/A-Robust-Product-Delivers-a-Reliable-Solution-to-the-Pharmaceutical-Cold-Chain.pdf

Authored by Martin Hawes, Global Head of Product Development at Tower Cold Chain