Bio/Pharmaceutical Cold Chain Management Asia

The third annual Bio/Pharmaceutical Cold Chain Management Asia conference was held from May 12-13 in Sentosa, Singapore. The event addressed the logistics challenges and issues that are faced by pharma companies today and offered solutions for more effective supply chain management.

Nigel Cryer, Head of Global Quality Manufacturing & Supply Chain, Norgine, said, “ There are things outside the manufacturing site where you don’t have full control over – if you’re not monitoring it, then you’re not managing it. If you don’t know what is happening to a shipment once it leaves your site, you don’t know what it’s being exposed to. Eg, a shipment being left on the tarmac under the rain or high humidity for 2-3 hours before it is shipped. Regulations have become clearer and more pragmatic. If the supply chain is not handling a drug properly, the drug faces the risk of being removed from the market due to temperature deviations in logistics."

According to Richard Smalley, associate director, Strategic Products and Vendors QA, UCB Pharma, “When setting up a cold chain, it is important to consider the cost implications, product, packaging choice, supply route, the experience of and the controls that third-party logistics providers have in place. It is necessary to identify the areas of risk and to put in additional controls. The variability of the transportation and the manual handling that takes place during the loading and unloading of the product are vulnerable areas where things could go wrong in a supply chain.”

In line with the growth of the pharma industry in Asia, logistics related companies are also strengthening their presence in the region.

Rodney Derifield, president, Envirocooler says, “We have manufacturing plants in the US, Europe, Australia. Singapore is a concentration point for Asia’s pharma industry and many companies have selected the country as a springboard from which to service the region. We are setting up a distribution hub in Singapore, which is scheduled to open in July this year.”

Envirocooler offers a full spectrum of temperature assurance solutions. The company manufactures containers for shipping biopharmaceuticals and biologics, and has test labs to perform validation testing.

From depots in Singapore, Paraxel International ships out clinical trials medical supplies to countries like Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Vietnam, South Korea and the Philippines.

Dr Andrea Zobel, Director Logistics Services Europe, Paraxel International, said, “Clinical trials are becoming more global and last year, we saw major developments in Asia (eg, South Korea, China, Singapore) and Eastern Europe (eg, Georgia, Russia, Kazakhstan). In many of these countries, participating in a trial allows patients to gain access to new and innovative medications. Compared to other regions, it is less challenging to manage clinical trials in Asia. For example, it generally takes less time to obtain the required licenses and regulatory approvals.”

The event is organized by IQPC.