Evolving Cold Chain Technology for the Pharmaceutical Sector
The need to care for pharmaceuticals in transit has never before been so pressing. With political instability affecting global trade routes and fragile economics causing the pharmaceutical industry to be more cautious than usual, the risk of vaccines and other temperature sensitive medications being spoiled during transit is entirely unacceptable.
For this reason, many in the industry are embracing a range of cold chain technology to improve their resilience to challenging operating conditions, to increase efficiency and to comply with stringent regulatory standards.
The primary cold chain technologies in use are:
-
Internet of Things (IoT).
IoT enabled cold chain devices enable users to track the temperature of their consignments and the environmental conditions to which they are exposed in real-time during transit and storage. IoT technology is incorporated into cold chain packaging and storage units to enable pharmaceutical companies to continually track and analyse the generated data, ensuring quality control and enabling swift corrective action to be taken in the event of any deviations.
-
Blockchain technology.
Blockchain technology looks set to revolutionise the way in which pharmaceuticals are tracked throughout the cold chain, increasing transparency and trust between stakeholders. The ledger created by this unique cold chain technology is unalterable and secure, enabling all stakeholders to access the same data at any point in time, ensuring regulatory compliance and reducing the risk of tampering.
-
Automation.
Many temperature fluctuations occur during the manual loading and unloading process, and this process is also considered high risk for packaging to be dropped or knocked, disrupting contents and potentially causing a contamination issue. Automated loading and unloading systems eliminate this risk, accelerate and streamline the process and improve reporting.
-
Cold chain packaging.
A crucial cold chain technology that has been embraced by many pharmaceutical companies is the use of passive cold chain containers with integrated data loggers. Supplied by companies such as Tower Cold Chain, these innovative, hygienic and reusable packaging solutions reduce the environmental impact of shipping pharmaceuticals globally, aid financial forecasting and reduce the risk to pharmaceutical companies of their products spoiling in transit.
The right cold chain packaging is essential to ensure regulatory compliance and patient safety, so investing in top-of-the-range packaging provides an essential safeguard to the vital medications and vaccines dispatched daily by pharmaceutical companies around the world.
Summary
Cold chain technology for the pharmaceutical sector is evolving rapidly and offers many benefits to the manufacturers and suppliers of temperature-sensitive medications. By integrating state-of-the-art passive packaging, IoT and blockchain technology and automating the riskiest processes, pharmaceutical companies can look forward to a future in which money is not wasted on unsuccessful deliveries, patient outcomes are improved and the supply chain becomes more efficient.
To find out how investing in cold chain technology can help your pharmaceutical business to thrive, please contact Tower Cold Chain today.
