DHL Group has acquired 100% of CRYOPDP, a specialty courier focused on clinical trials, biopharma, and cell and gene therapies. In this context, DHL and Cryoport Inc. also announced a strategic partnership to strengthen their supply chain service offerings for the global life sciences and healthcare sector.

The deal and the outlined partnership are subject to regulatory approvals.

Acquisition

DHL Group already has an established Life Sciences and Healthcare business. Building on this foundation, the acquisition of CRYOPDP marks a significant step in DHL’s commitment to enhancing its capabilities in specialized pharma logistics and expanding the breadth of its offering in the life science and healthcare sector. CRYOPDP specializes in providing white-glove courier services essential to the sectors it serves. With operations in 15 countries, CRYOPDP handles over 600,000 shipments per year, servicing customers and patients in over 135 countries worldwide.

Going forward, DHL Supply Chain will further build the potential of its Pharma Specialized Network solution by leveraging the specialty courier expertise of newly acquired CRYOPDP and the global air capabilities of DHL Express and DHL Global Forwarding.

Strategic Partnership

The strategic partnership with Cryoport will bring together DHL’s global health logistics capabilities with Cryoport’s expertise in providing specialized solutions in a fast-growing life science and healthcare market segment. It also deepens DHL’s relationship with all the Cryoport business units with respect to specialized pharma.

Oscar de Bok, CEO of DHL Supply Chain, stated, “The acquisition of CRYOPDP is a pivotal move for our supply chain business as we aim to expand our Pharma Specialized Network to meet the evolving needs of clinical trials, biopharma and cell & gene therapies, in addition to further increasing our footprint in the conventional pharma and life science healthcare segment. The acquisition of CRYOPDP and the extended partnership with Cryoport Inc. will enable us to deliver integrated end-to-end solutions, enhancing our service capabilities.”

Jerrell Shelton, CEO of Cryoport, commented, “This strategic partnership taps into the strong expertise of DHL’s Supply Chain and CRYOPDP, presenting a substantial opportunity for Cryoport to further expand its reach to global growth markets such as Asia Pacific (APAC) and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).”

The acquisition aligns with DHL Group’s Strategy 2030, which emphasizes the importance of temperature-controlled networks, first and last mile specialty courier coverage and integrated solutions. CRYOPDP’s capabilities will be instrumental in achieving these objectives and help position DHL as a leader in providing comprehensive solutions for the pharma industry. This strategic move is also expected to yield cost savings and improve overall service levels, especially leveraging DHL Express and DHL Global Forwarding air capabilities, ultimately enhancing DHL’s footprint in the high-value advanced pharma sector.

For Cryoport, the partnership with DHL will enable it to better execute its business in EMEA and APAC with a stronger focus on its core business in these regions, creating greater opportunities to offer highly targeted, top-tier services in answering market demand for its services and products.

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