Specialized handling capabilities for the growing number of critical therapies on the market, such as cold storage, product handling, and packaging, are crucial for the preservation of costly and sensitive products. Often biologics, these drugs are classified as high-cost, high complexity and/or high touch, such as injectables and infusions. However, the complexity around how these specialty drugs are manufactured and distributed presents challenges at each step of the way. 

Specialty distributors and third-party logistics providers (3PLs) supply the critical services needed to support drug manufacturers in delivering vital therapies to patients. These services include warehousing, fulfillment, supply chain and inventory management, as well as regulatory compliance.

Therapies such as cell and gene therapies and those for rare diseases are often extremely fragile and each drug can have its own set of unique and highly specialized handling requirements. The  capabilities of a specialty distributor go beyond storage requirements where the training for those handling these therapies is equally important, along with using the right shippers with the right technology.

Specialty distributors and 3PLs leverage their expertise to help minimize risk across the therapy’s excursion from the manufacturer to the patient. These specialized handling capabilities are then built into operations and can be applied to a broad range of specialty drugs.

Joel Wayment, vice president of operations at Cardinal Health, discusses the importance of specialized handling capabilities, when they are needed most, current challenges and how they can be overcome.

Contract Pharma: What do specialized handling capabilities entail?

Joel Wayment: When we talk about specialized handling, what we’re talking about is having the infrastructure to support all different types of products, no matter their sensitive nature. For example, certain products may be required to stay at a certain temperature through the entire supply chain. Other products may be hazardous and require other measures to ensure the safety of the product and the team handling the product. At Cardinal Health, we ensure that products are maintained in a safe and efficient way, whether that be through hazardous storage space/conditions, controlled storage or cryogenic freezers. Additionally, our team members are given comprehensive training to ensure they understand what type of handling is needed for each product, and what kind of precautions they must take to keep themselves and the product safe. 

Contract Pharma: Where are these specialized capabilities needed most?

Joel Wayment: Specialized handling is needed most when a product has stringent requirements to ensure its safety and efficacy. For example, some products must be kept at specific temperatures as they move through the entire supply chain. Other therapies, like cell and gene therapies, are incredibly expensive and sensitive to transport and store. For therapies with specialized handling requirements, it’s imperative that we understand and execute on the specific requirements needed to keep them safe and protected through the supply chain all the way to patient administration. 

Contract Pharma: What are the current challenges and obstacles?

Joel Wayment: Current challenges and obstacles in this area include making sure that people involved with the transportation of product are comprehensively trained and understand what is needed to handle and ensure timely delivery. In today’s supply chain environment, there are often disruptions that occur and having the right training and contingencies in place to mitigate any risk to the product while in transit is vital. When a temperature sensitive product is being moved throughout the supply chain, it’s important to utilize the appropriate shippers and technology to ensure that product not only is delivered on time but at the desired temperature.

Contract Pharma: How can these challenges be overcome?

Joel Wayment: Ensuring the timely delivery of product and serving as a trusted partner to manufacturers is essential. We work with qualified vendors/suppliers to secure the right carriers, shippers, etc. to ensure that product is delivered in a safe and efficient manner. Comprehensive training ensures that all team members understand the safety requirements associated with a given product. Additionally, to combat the environmental impacts of shipping, we utilize Cardinal Health’s Exclusive Pharmaceutical Transportation Network (EPTN), which consolidates shipments going to common destinations utilizing dedicated temperature-controlled carriers for established routes. 

 

Joel Wayment leads Cardinal Health’s third-party logistics and packaging solutions businesses. A veteran executive with more than 19 years of experience across logistics, supply chain and packaging solutions in the pharmaceutical industry, under Joel’s leadership Cardinal Health™ 3PL Services has grown to be an industry leader providing warehousing, distribution and order-to-cash services to emerging and established biopharma companies with products across a wide range of categories. His career reflects a focus on service, quality and excellence in delivering value to customers and clients.