Amidst such unprecedented times, the only arms and artillery that we have in this fight against a global health crisis are the healthcare, pharmaceutical and diagnostic products, without which it would have been unimaginable. These medicines, originating from living cells, are extremely sensitive to variations in temperature, with very little tolerance to fluctuations.
India experiences temperatures beyond 35°C during summer that makes it extremely crucial for healthcare products with a short shelf-life to be transported and delivered in a safe and reliable manner, especially over long distances. In a bid to prevent deterioration and loss of potency of the products, the pharmaceutical industry in India follows a strict guideline that the products should always maintain temperature as per the conditions recommended by the manufacturer.
The temperature fluctuation due to transit costs the global pharmaceuticals industry loss of products worth more than USD 15 billion every year.
Logistics companies are endowed with in-depth knowledge of local regulations, customs, compliance, and environmental conditions that help to determine the right distribution route, thus being an indispensable organ of global trade, including healthcare.
These responsibilities multiply during a worldwide healthcare crisis.
In order to cater to the ever-increasing demand of safe transportation and maintenance of healthcare and pharmaceutical, logistics companies are coming up with newer innovations in order to provide highly efficient temperature-controlled packaging solutions.
For example, specimen collection kits for COVID-19 are required to be stored and shipped between 2°C to 8°C. With temperature-controlled packaging, the integrity of the specimen is maintained at all times during transit, enabling to run timely tests and administer proper patient care.
The confidence of transporting critical shipments using temperature-controlled packaging solutions is driven through real-time information and visibility. As per requirement, an added layer of visibility and security can be added with sensor technology to monitor critical shipments. Sensor technology provides customers regular alerts informing them of their shipment’s current status and concerns, thereby giving them the opportunity to intervene and control their shipment before reaching its final destination.
Temperature-controlled packaging is also the answer of the logistics industry to the past challenges faced by healthcare companies, governments, and patients in gaining access to new and advanced treatments.
Somewhere in February 2020, Mumbai Airport launched ‘The Export Cold Zone’, the world’s largest temperature controlled facility for storage of agro and pharma products.
For a collaborated fight against diseases, healthcare organizations should put their faith in logistics companies and work in coordination and collaboration to eradicate all hurdles that lie on the way to making critical healthcare accessible.
Tapping into new opportunities and collaborating innovative practices and expertise will take this fight to the next level.
The healthcare industry that has achieved newer heights in terms of research, treatments and diagnosis of cell therapy, tissue-based products, transplant medicine, and bio-pharmaceuticals can work hand-in-hand with logistics companies to give patients across the globe, access to these life-saving treatments, through well-established networks and agile transport services, and innovative solutions. Only then will this global fight achieve the desired momentum.
