Just One Temperature Drop Can Ruin Life-Saving Resources Cold Chain Delivery For Pharmaceuticals


Taking good care of people means taking care of your pharmaceutical supplies first.

Medicine, blood, and vaccines, however, are notoriously tricky elements. Just a little bit of excess air can ruin their ability to heal. A slight drop in temperature can compromise the hard work of doctors and engineers. Cold chain delivery is aware of the domino effect that comes with bad shipping and handling, providing you a simple, reliable means of handling pharmaceutical products. When in doubt about your shipping solutions, a basic refresher can expand your options once more.

There’s always room for improvement with people’s lives on the line. Learn about how cold chain delivery works and what it means for your pharmaceuticals.

The need for high-quality medicine and resources has never gone down. If anything, it’s going to increase over the next three decades. This can be partially attributed to the rise in the population — the United States is going to see its elderly comprising 20% of the country by the time 2050 arrives. This is right alongside a worldwide figure of nine billion (today’s estimates are at seven billion, by comparison). Cold chain delivery is a natural response to a planet that seems to move faster and faster by the minute.

Where does the global pharmaceutical market stand compared to other industries? According to recent estimates it will reach over $1 trillion once 2022 arrives. The United States alone boasts a 45% share of this global market, setting an example for many countries to follow. Pharmaceutical storage conditions are extremely finicky, relying on a careful mixture of smart packaging and carefully regulated temperature. Anything less can ruin millions of dollars worth of work…and put lives at risk.

Pharmaceutical cold storage facilities have gone through several changes over the past century. The advent of refrigerated trucks were originally crafted for ice cream, later being used to transport meat and eventually sensitive products like medicine. It’s estimated seven out of the 10 leading pharmaceutical products require some form of temperature-controlled transportation. Even when they arrive pharmaceutical products must be immediately transferred to a freezer or fridge. A mere two degrees Celsius temperature variation can ruin them.

Pharmaceutical cold storage works best when given a strict guideline to follow. These products exchange several hands on their way to their destination, which increases the probability of human error by a significant margin. Biologic material includes (but isn’t limited to) blood, tissue, and reproductive material. Clinical trials, too, can include these and life-saving vaccinations. They all need to be stored in cryogenic containers that are able to hold a consistent temperature for days on end.

Cold chain delivery provides the most reliable means of transferring products from point A to point B. Today’s cryogenic containers have the ability to maintain -150 degrees Celsius for at least 10 days, good wiggle room for long transportation ventures. Pharmaceutical storage conditions can also include unique forms of packaging to best accommodate the products. Sample management, just like any other type, is best done with the most amount of options possible. When anything can happen to a life-saving vaccine, you want to be prepared.

Rely on quality. Look into pharmaceutical cold storage and cold chain delivery for the next test run.