Navigating Best Practices in Pharmaceutical Transportation

According to Rubix Industry Insights, India is well-positioned to retain its role as the  ‘Pharmacy of the World’ by leveraging its strong manufacturing facilities, imperative government initiatives, and skilled and affordable workforce. Moreover, it is estimated that the Indian Pharmacy industry will grow by double digits by 2030 with a CAGR of 12%.

Pharma logistics in India is a growing sector and will benefit from the surge in demand from the global markets for medical supplies and equipment. Hence, pharmaceutical logistics companies need to leverage the opportunity and be prepared with the best transportation practices for medical products.

Challenges in Transporting Medical Supplies

• Many pharmaceutical companies find it strenuous to ship medical drugs and equipment globally as they require a temperature-controlled environment to thrive. Unable to deliver medical products and medicines on time and in a temperature-controlled environment can lead to product degradation, reduced efficacy, and loss of life due to non-availability.
   
• Additionally, medicines are subject to stringent regulations. Failing to comply with the standard regulatory requirements can result in penalties, damage, and heavy fines. Pharma logistics companies in India need regular service testing, documentation, training, and monitoring throughout the supply chain to safely deliver the medical shipment to its destination. 
   
• Generally, pharmaceutical shipments incur higher insurance and shipping costs, given the steps taken to safeguard and preserve the integrity of the shipment and the nature of the cargo.
   

Considering the challenges, what can be the best practices pharma logistics companies in India can leverage to deliver shipments safely and securely? Let’s discuss them in detail.

Best Practices for Secure Pharmaceutical Transportation
 

1. Know the In and Out of the Product: The supplier must know the pharmaceutical product being transported. Knowing which medicine or product is highly sensitive to outer temperature, humidity, moisture, and shock will help pharma logistics companies take the right measures to protect the value of the product and its integrity.
   
   
    
2. Invest in Real-time Visibility Solutions: Real-time visibility solutions enable companies to track the temperature and the product's condition to provide real-time updates to the customer. This safeguards the integrity of the medicine or vaccine and lets the customer know about the whereabouts of their shipment. It is one of the best tracking and tracing solutions a logistics company can invest in to incur long-term benefits.
    
3. Leverage Risk Management Solutions: Logistics companies in India must invest in a solution that identifies potential risks during the shipment's transit. The risk management technology enables companies to spot potential cargo crimes allowing companies to be well-prepared for the worst-case scenarios accordingly.
    
4. Complete Documentation for Compliance: Compliance is an imperative requirement for pharma logistics in India. Documenting the entire transporting process is critical to ensure all the regulatory requirements are met to clear compliance seamlessly. It offers a trail to prove that one is in control of an effective shipping process where every requirement is fulfilled, as per standard practices. The documentation required for compliance includes the record of the temperature control condition during transportation, any deviation from the decided route or plan, and the record of labeling, marketing, and packaging of the product.
    
5. Personnel Training: Preparing employees for pharmaceutical transportation is highly important. Training personnel in packaging, labeling, marking, and quality checks is essential for any logistics company to successfully transport dangerous goods across countries. The training includes documentation, handling procedures, leverage monitoring solutions, quality checking, and packaging.
    

In conclusion, the transportation of pharmaceutical products within India or across borders requires a bulk of work to be done constantly. Transporting temperature-sensitive and time-sensitive medical products is a complex process that requires successful planning, strategy, and execution with risk management and accurate documentation.
 

Jeena and Company is a 124-year-old logistics firm with a global market presence in pharma logistics. We are one of the largest pharma logistics companies in India that is constantly evolving to stay relevant with the growing market demand. Our logistics architects bring together a complete platter of end-to-end logistics solutions for transporting temperature-sensitive products safely to their destinations globally.  Starting from documentation to risk management and ground-level work of packaging to labeling, Jeena and Company render an entire transportation plan ensuring the medical supplies reach hospitals, clinics, and chemists with security and safety. To learn more about our pharmaceutical transportation service, please contact us at contact@jeena.co.in.