Dedicated To Improving Pharmaceutical Cold-Chain Distribution Practices
Re: Airline Industry Soon To Enforce Binding Guidance For Handling Temperature-Sensitive Pharmaceutical Products
by Tony Wright
Hi Kevin, Firstly great blog. Naturally it's a great step forward to have the cool chain requirements of the pharma and life science industry incoprporated into the IATA Perishables manual (though I have been trying to convince Eric to change the name to 'Temperature Sensitive' since many of the worlds airlines use the word perishables only to describe general food commodities and we know well that there is a tremendous difference in process). We need to see a stronger differentiation in terminology. I know well from my days developing the temperature senistive business for BA and latterly at my time with Envirotainer, that there is undoubtedly a need for improvements in procedures, practice and measurement of the air logistics process and have long believed that IATA, with its wider and global membership have the opportunity to play a stronger role in achieving that. Whilst the CCA have achieved a great deal in developing the CCQI, there still remains the actual process of full adoption or implementation within the air part of the logistics process and right now individual commercial considerations are somewhat hindering this. If the IATA initiative is to work we will need to carefully consult to avoid carriers fearing adoption of new procedures is costly and therefore even decline to carry the very commodities we want to see globally traded (and safely) Of course I am not saying it's impossible but it will need that continued cooperation with the pharma and life science industry to achieve practical implementation and for some big carriers to publicly adopt it as a driver to overall implementation. For my part and as someone with knowledge of 'both sides', I am willing to help that along. I know from conferences I have attended in Europe, that many pharma manufacturers (big and small pharma), believe the air cargo business to be very opaque. So if we can see greater visibility through agreed standard processes, we will have made a significant step - but it will take time. See you in Mexico.
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