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Cold Chain Logistic Services and the Pharmaceutical Industry

Within the pharmaceutical industry the movement of drugs relies heavily on controlled and uncompromised transfer of shipments. The value brought by the cold chain in the preservation of vaccines and medical supplies is widely recognized. In this industry, products that are exposed to any unanticipated temperature variation can become ineffective or even harmful to patients. Pharmaceutical Product Development Increases the Cold Chain Logistic Services Demand

The demand for cold chain logistics services in the pharmaceutical industry is expected to rise significantly in the next years. According to the Cold Chain Biopharma Logistics Sourcebook 2011, world sales of temperature-sensitive drugs and of biologics products will near $250 billion by 2015. Due to this strong sales growth, the cold chain logistic services market will hit $10.7 billion by 2017, from its current figures of US$ 6.7 billion, according to the Global Healthcare Cold Chain Logistics Market Report & Forecast. Most biotech products require refrigerated storage and transportation High-risk products such as vaccines, insulins, blood products and injectables normally require storage between 2ºC and 8ºC. There are also products that become physically unstable at under 0 temperatures. All these products must be stored according to the manufacturer’s guidelines in order to maintain their quality. The World Health Organization recommends special storage conditions and continuous temperature monitoring to ensure correct storage for refrigerated products.

More Tightened Regulatory Requirements Good practices for pharmaceutical distribution and storage exist in multiple forms, across the entire world and especially between manufacturers and logistics service providers. According to Pharmaceuticalcommerce.com, only last year “there were approximately 30 worldwide additions or changes made to “good distribution practices” (GDPs) as part of the management and regulation of pharmaceutical transportation and storage.”

The pharmaceutical market faces new challenges to ensure product integrity in the supply chain. Cold chain for pharmaceuticals needs to be temperature controlled as specific standards need to be maintained. A well organized cold chain system has the ability to reduce product deterioration as well as to maintain product quality. Temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products are the future of the healthcare industry and they require a superior supply chain model.

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