International. Research by DHL Global Forwarding argues that it is urgent to develop a new generation of cold chain systems for the life sciences and healthcare industry, in order to improve global health standards.
The report, "The Smarter Cold Chain: Four essentials every company should adopt," highlights the critical challenges facing the healthcare industry as global demand for expensive biologics and specialty drugs, with a complex, temperature-sensitive structure, increases.
"The staggering advances in the life sciences industry, coupled with globalization, create an opportunity for better health, pain relief and cure of diseases for many millions of people around the world," said Frank Appel, CEO of Deutsche Post DHL Group. "But getting medicines to patients in the right conditions and reaching that goal requires a complex balance of costs and risks. It highlights once again the strong link between trade, logistics and the impact it has on improving people's lives."
The report indicates that as global demand, especially in emerging markets, is growing in tandem with an increasingly stringent compliance demand from regulators, the industry faces a critical situation, unless a new generation of cold chain systems is developed that can support growth aspirations and, at the same time, protect the products.
"Cold chains collapsed by inappropriate conditions can result in the loss of a shipment worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. In the longer term, this can damage reputation, cause sales to plummet, affect stock value and even put patients at risk," said Angelos Orfanos, president of Life Sciences and Healthcare, Customer Solutions and Innovation at DHL.
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