When it comes to shipping pharmaceuticals, temperature control and monitoring are critical. When temperature-sensitive drugs and medications aren’t kept at the right levels of temperature or humidity, they can become dangerous.
Moving these drugs and medications from one facility to the next or from a facility directly to the patient is a big part of the pharmaceutical supply chain. Insuring that all standards are met can become exponentially complex if or when you attempt to scale this out to the millions of patients and healthcare facilities that are in need of these medications.
The 4 most common touchpoints in the pharmaceutical industry are outlined in the Guide to Temperature Controlled Logistics. Although these may differ a bit, they typically look something like this:
- Preparing the product for transport to the shipper location
Temperature control and monitoring also go hand in hand here, as these are often the starting points for pharmaceuticals. Storing the product at the correct temperature is very important, so it is vital for the warehouse to have the correct measures in place to do so. - Transportation to shipper location
Whether it’s refrigerated vehicles or passive cooling systems, it’s important that the transportation vehicle can meet the temperature needs of the pharmaceuticals it’s shipping. As a safety precaution, you need to make sure that the refrigeration is always on to minimize the exposure. - Physical loading
The foremost factor is making sure your loading process is as smooth and streamlined as possible. A couple important questions to ask yourself is whether there will there be any delays during the loading process? Will it be hot or cold enough on the dock to potentially affect the product? - In transit
Are there sufficient temperature controls in place to guarantee the safety of the product? Is your product being protected throughout the logistics process?