DHL Express has launched an enhanced service between Mexico and the U.S. for customers in the pharmaceutical and clinical research sectors through DHL Medical Express (WMX). The transportation solution, which DHL piloted in Mexico in 2017, is designed to minimize the risks for customers operating within a complex supply chain.

With its medical express service, DHL Express can manage the export and regulatory requirements for urgent shipments with specific temperature requirements-from several major cities in Mexico, including Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey-to most U.S. destinations in less than 24 hours.

The company’s network in Mexico has been enhanced via the DHL WMX clinical trial platform, which includes a specialized customer service center with bilingual representatives for investigator sites. The service includes dry ice supplies and temperature-controlled packaging fulfillment, online tools for placing bookings and ordering supplies, and a web-based interface, Express Logistics Platform (ELP), that connects sites. The DHL customer service team and all the operational back office systems reside within the DHL operation and are also integrated into ELP.

“Given the complexity of export processes and Ministry of Health approvals in Mexico and several other Latin American countries, having an integrated system enables DHL to begin the export approval process ahead of samples arriving at our facilities,” said Brian Bralynski, sector head of life sciences, DHL Americas. “This enables DHL to extend later collection times to investigator sites, allowing more time to schedule patient visits and still export the day of collection.”

DHL launched its integrated Medical Express service from Colombia in 2014 and has since expanded the service to Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama and Peru. Expansion plans for this service in the near future include Brazil and additional markets within Mexico.