Shining a Light on Supply Chain Visibility

A ruined shipment of temperature-controlled medicine can cost much more than lost revenue – it can impact an individual's health. Navigating the route from the drug manufacturer to the patient efficiently and cost effectively with temperature-sensitive materials is a labor-intensive task, which hinges on the investment in temperature control. Visibility along the chain is a critical part of this tool kit. It allows for informed decision-making and provides evidence for product quality compliance with regulatory requirements.However, existing temperature monitoring technologies such as data loggers have their limitations: sometimes being unreliable, expensive or misplaced during transit. With this in mind, Cold Chain IQ speaks to Alison Schuitema, product manager, Pharmaceuticals with Avery Dennison on the subject of optimising supply chain agility through expanded visibility and achieving proactive, evidence based decision making utilizing monitored temperature-controlled technology. What sort of impact can be faced from not investing in visibility within the temperature controlled transit of pharmaceuticals? Is this a decision that can put firms behind the competition?Alison: “Yes, this is a decision that can put firms behind the competition. Investing in visibility to temperature data is one of the most important elements for high-value products such as biologic drug products. Interestingly enough, according to Evaluate Pharma, eight of the top 10 best-selling global drug products will be biologic drugs and require 2-8°C temperature controlled storage and handling. The safety of those products can be compromised when a company avoids investing in temperature data visibility.[1]”What are the main pain points the market is suffering from due to the existing offering of data loggers for temperature-controlled shipments?Alison: “Companies are looking for a cost-effective solution that can offer an enhanced level of data accuracy. According to discussions we’ve had with many pharma customers, the existing data loggers in the marketplace, which are at the price point many customers are seeking, cannot provide the level of accuracy many drug and perishable food manufacturers require.For instance, with high-value products such as biologic drugs, an enhanced level of temperature data is necessary to ensure the entire load is safe, has remained within the required temperature range and has not been compromised. We have tackled this issue head on and developed a solution, TT Sensor Plus™ smart label technology that can bring temperature tracking in the form of a label, which can be affixed to every case of product on a pallet. The TT Sensor Plus mobile application, easily activated by an Android-based smartphone or tablet, allows the data captured by the label to be read and transmitted to ensure product quality. ” Returning data loggers can sometimes be an arduous process as well as being expensive, so how can pharma and biotech firms navigate around this?Alison: “Yes - returning data loggers to the manufacturer for recalibration can be somewhat of a painful process. They can be lost, broken or even stolen at times. One method to navigate this issue is to deploy a more cost-effective, disposable data logger, which can be used once and discarded. This process allows for convenience at the level where the data logger is applied, thus eliminating the concerns with returning logistics for the device. Today’s data loggers often need to be plugged into a computer to download data. This is another pain point we have tried to combat by incorporating technology into a data logger product. This facilitates the reading of data via a smartphone instead of having expensive system upgrades or equipment upgrades.” In terms of agility within the supply chain, what sort of improvement can be achieved with the visibility supplied by real-time data temperature monitoring?Alison: “Real-time temperature monitoring allows for instant accept or reject decisions at the warehouse or loading dock. As soon as a product arrives at the warehouse or distribution centre, managers can easily view the temperature data and conditions to which the load has been exposed. This allows pharma firms to make a proactive decision on whether the product should be accepted into the warehouse or rejected and returned to the location it was sourced. So a company can preserve time and monetary resources by making proactive decisions based on temperature data instead of using reactive decisions at a later stage after realizing a product’s integrity has been compromised.”How will investment in supply chain visibility through data loggers impact quality control? Alison: “Investment in supply chain visibility through data loggers allows for an enhanced level of quality control. Most biological products require specific storage conditions, as indicated in the product labeling, to maintain their safety, purity, and potency.[2]Data loggers provide users with a deeper understanding of the temperatures and conditions their products endure through the supply chain - not only during transportation but also while in storage in different distribution channels. Data loggers are sometimes used in the manufacturing of some products to verify that as a product is manufactured, packaged and filled, it has remained stable within a certain temperature range. So it gives the company the data it needs to confirm and validate their product is staying within a temperature range or to adjust their storage and distribution processes to make sure their products are staying safe.”What do you feel has been the impact of technology on the supply chain and specifically near field communication (NFC)?Alison: “Near Field Communication (NFC) has allowed for better visibility on many different parts of the supply chain. Everything from inventory tracking to product security to logging temperature data has been impacted by technologies such as NFC and RFID. We have been able to incorporate NFC into the Avery Dennison solution – TT Sensor Plus- to allow for heightened levels of visibility to temperature data.” Avery Dennison (NYSE:AVY) is a global leader in labeling and packaging materials and solutions. The company’s applications and technologies are an integral part of products used in every major market and industry. With operations in more than 50 countries and more than 25,000 employees worldwide, Avery Dennison serves customers with insights and innovations that help make brands more inspiring and the world more intelligent. To learn more about the TT Sensor Plus smart label technology, visit label.averydennison.com/ttsensor or email info.smartlabels@averydennison.com[1] Ariette van Strien, Evaluate Pharma 2016 Predictions, High Value Biologic Drugs Will Demand A Comprehensive Supply Chain, Pharmaceutical Online http://www.pharmaceuticalonline.com/doc/value-of-biologics-is-driving-importance-of-comprehensive-supply-chain-0001[2] U.S. FDA, http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/ProductSecurity/ucm147243.htm

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