The cold chain is substantially different from the conventional supply chain. Everything from the packaging of goods to constant refrigeration calls for a much more hands-on approach.

This is especially true for maintaining pharmaceutical quality and the health of related goods. If and when they are exposed to less-than-optimal conditions, bad things can happen. Food can become contaminated, medicine can spoil and become dangerous, and lots of money is lost as a result.

Preserving quality in the pharmaceutical cold chain goes beyond just keeping the goods safe and in optimal condition. People depend on that medicine, and sometimes their life hinges upon its safe arrival. The logistics may be the same, but the consequences can be much more severe.

So, what are some tried-and-true ways to preserve quality in the pharmaceutical cold chain?

Start With the Packaging
Pharmaceuticals must be kept at a constant and reliable temperature, including medicine and vaccines. Any failure to maintain the recommended temperatures could mean the medicine spoils.
When temperature readings go outside the intended boundaries, it’s called a temperature excursion. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),¹ a temperature excursion is “any temperature reading outside ranges recommended in the manufacturer’s package inserts.” The best way to deal with them is to “take immediate action” to correct the excursion before the vaccine or medicine goes to waste.

Temperature-controlled packaging can help preserve those boundaries, at least for longer than standard packaging methods. From insulated boxes that expel heat to specially designed coolants for use in shipping and transport, technology plays a huge role in keeping pharmaceuticals safely stored. It’s also being improved constantly with new and innovative solutions, such as cryogenics and biologic therapies.²

Extensive Testing Is Necessary
As with all things, it’s wise to conduct various tests and assessments to understand where things may go wrong and how to improve upon them. However, with the cold chain, once things are in motion, they stay in motion. That’s because it involves constantly dealing with vulnerable and easily affected pharmaceuticals, and there’s no way to halt operations without potentially damaging those valuable goods. It calls for a new form of dynamic testing and real-time operations, empowered by modern technologies such as IoT (internet of things) and connected devices.

After initial tests, the IoT devices and sensors will constantly report data that can be used to protect the related goods, but also to take immediate action when things go bad. A sudden temperature drop in a cold transport, for example, would result in alerts going out to the driver, support crews, and administrators. That team can then work together to figure out what’s happening, and either remedy the situation to continue the transport’s journey, or make adjustments to save the inventory—like moving it to another truck or a nearby storage facility.

It’s an ongoing level of testing, driven by data and more informed decisions.

Smarter Operations
Artificial intelligence and machine learning tools, such as neural networks, can aid in both cold chain planning and automation tasks. They ingest data, sometimes collected and shared thanks to IoT devices, turning it from passive to active, and creating actionable insights that can improve operations and business processes.

Think shorter routes with more conducive environmental conditions, faster time to market because of process optimizations, and reduced operating costs thanks to more effective strategies. They can also allow predictive modeling to plan ahead for changes in the market, supply shortages, and customer demands. The technologies are designed to parse and analyze information to find hidden patterns, trends, and other flags that can be leveraged in some way. Not only do they do it faster than any human could hope to, but they also make it possible to maintain real-time data solutions.

Even outdated and ineffective payment systems can cause quite the hassle. One estimate says the average business loses over $171K per year³ on poor or ineffective payment solutions. Nearly 6,500 man-hours are wasted just on chasing purchase order numbers and processing invoices, and responding to supplier inquiries. Many of those processes could be automated with the help of ML and AI platforms.

Scalable Solutions
It’s no surprise that the pandemic called for an unprecedented ramp-up⁴ in production for vaccines and pharmaceuticals. But this move would not have been possible without modern technologies, namely automation and advanced robotics. After the research that went into creating these vaccines, automated solutions allow for the true scaling of operations.

That’s not to say events can’t be challenging. Manufacturers are up against a seemingly limitless demand that continues to grow, as does the urgency of their arrival. The good news is that many of the solutions being implemented right now will hold and improve going forward. The result is a more scalable industry that can meet demands, no matter how insurmountable.

Smart Contracts for Transparency
The technology is still relatively new to the field of logistics and the cold chain, but blockchain technologies, like those powering high-profile cryptocurrencies, could potentially revolutionize the transparency of the entire industry.

The blockchain is essentially a digital ledger that contains secure information for all transactions carried out on the platform. Transactions are always conducted by trusted parties with verifiable identities and traceable goods. This helps cut down on theft, fraud, and counterfeit goods, which could wreak havoc in the world of pharmaceuticals.

Pharmaceutical quality benefits as well, and is just as verifiable through blockchain systems. An interested party could follow a specific batch directly to the source, with verifiable data and more detailed insights. This tracing can go in both directions. And in both the food supply chain and pharma chain, it can help identify, track, and deal with contaminated goods that have made it out to the public.

These types of platforms already exist and are being used,⁵ but the proper supply chain solution architecture must be in place.

Preserving Pharmaceutical Quality in the Cold Chain
Pharmaceutical quality in the cold chain is of the utmost importance, and that’s true whether you’re talking about COVID vaccines or diabetic insulin. All forms of medicine must be preserved to the recommended standards, to fend off potential contamination or failure. Many depend on the medicine and its timely, safe arrival.

Luckily, modern technologies are playing an increasing and ever-important role in the field, aiding in everything from general logistics and storage to data-driven market predictions. Temperature-controlled packaging, real-time insights from IoT and smarter operations, scalable automation platforms, and smart contracts via the blockchain are all examples of innovative technologies being put to use in the industry. They’re also crucial to maintaining the level of pharmaceutical quality we all need to thrive. 

References

1. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/admin/storage/downloads/temperature-excursion-508.pdf
2. https://www.pharmaceuticalcommerce.com/view/todays-pharma-cold-chain-is-going-cryogenic
3. https://www.mhlnews.com/global-supply-chain/article/22054569/supply-chain-losing-hours-money-to-poor-financial-systems
4. https://gesrepair.com/vaccine-production-is-peaking-heres-the-secret-to-its-rapid-rollout/
5. https://www.ibm.com/cloud/architecture/architectures/iot-blockchain-cold-chain/