IMPERATIVES FOR COLD CHAIN QUALITY Part 5 – Continuous Improvement and Ongoing Enhancement

Protecting temperature-sensitive air cargo in the cold chain is not a casual endeavor. It takes planning, training, and constant attention to time and conditions to guard the viability of delicate pharmaceuticals on their journey to the patient. This kind of proactive effort is as critical for each shipment as it is for the wider challenge of enhancing and improving the cold chain.

This article series explores five of the most important best practices for enhancing time- and temperature-sensitive program development in the demanding field of pharmaceutical logistics. Thus far, we have looked at the importance of identifying the customer’s scope , selecting the right partners , collaborating on process development and implementation , and evaluating shipment handling results . Each of these best practices helps establish effective, reliable cold chain logistics. Just as important, however, is continually seeking ways to improve and refine temperature-sensitive services.

All cold chain best practices require collaborative partnerships, where shippers, forwarders, and carriers work together to determine the best options and services for temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical shipments. This collaboration drives process development and shipment evaluation, but it also contributes to the ongoing task of identifying opportunities for enhancing cold chain quality. Future program development, for example, relies on close communication, taking into account use of effective Quality Management Systems (QMS), which must include service evaluations, customer feedback, and consideration of industry trends. Tripartite communication also fosters ongoing identification of additional program features that partners may need or desire.

Collaboration is also essential for harmonizing regulations and processes. Across the international air cargo network, there are regulatory differences between countries in terms of rules for safely shipping temperature-sensitive products. Airport infrastructure and facilities for protecting cold chain cargo can also vary significantly between origin, destination, and transfer points. Forwarders and carriers must work together to address these variables, mitigate threats to pharmaceutical viability, and achieve a consistent standard of handling and care for temperature-sensitive cargo.

At the same time, stakeholders must continually revisit the cold chain program offerings to ensure service keeps pace with product and regulatory demands. With new and improved pharmaceuticals come added environmental requirements to protect product efficacy. Changing environmental demands may require adjustments to cold chain services and features, whether using active temperature-control containers or passive cooling materials. Overall transit times – including where and for how long shipments are managed at transfer points and also at final destination prior to recovery – are crucial to product effectiveness. Addressing these changing needs means communicating with shippers about product requirements, assessing the impact on cold chain services, and making changes as needed to best protect delicate pharmaceuticals.

Standards for safely moving and documenting temperature-sensitive cargo can also change. New cold chain regulations are frequently implemented and amended, either from industry groups or from individual customs regimes of countries across the world. All cold chain stakeholders share the responsibility for monitoring developments in cold chain regulations and adjusting the process to meet new and updated rules.

While an effective cold chain relies on collaboration between stakeholders, airlines also have individual objectives for enhancing service. Airlines are in a strong position to look ahead and anticipate the future needs of shippers and forwarders. Accurately anticipating customer and product needs allows the airline to expand and adjust its services to enhance the cold chain. It is therefore crucial that pharmaceutical companies and forwarders have ongoing dialog with the airlines to keep them abreast of current and future product requirements.

Airlines also bear responsibility for contributing to industry-wide enhancement of cold chain service. Identifying best practices, advocating for improved techniques or technology, and driving industry discussion about temperature-sensitive shipping are important parts of the larger air cargo initiative to enhance the cold chain – a responsibility and investment American Airlines Cargo takes seriously.

Patients around the world require access to life-saving pharmaceuticals, many of which would be out of reach without the help of air cargo cold chain logistics. With new treatments coming to market and current pharmaceuticals enjoying rising demand, effective and reliable temperature-sensitive shipping has never been more important. Ongoing cold chain enhancement, as well as the other best practices described in this series, can help the air cargo industry best work with shippers to safely steward pharmaceuticals across world.

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IMPERATIVES FOR COLD CHAIN QUALITY Part 5 – Continuous Improvement and Ongoing Enhancement

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