Chilled, deep-frozen, ultra-deep-frozen

The logistics of pharmaceuticals are at the center of public interest in the context of the ongoing anti-Corona vaccination campaign. (Image: MCH Messe Schweiz (Basel) AG)

In view of international pharmaceutical supply chains, the integration of road, rail, and air freight is a prerequisite for the success of the current vaccination campaign. (Image: MCH Messe Schweiz (Basel) AG)

In view of international pharmaceutical supply chains, the integration of road, rail, and air freight is a prerequisite for the success of the current vaccination campaign. (Image: MCH Messe Schweiz (Basel) AG)

Given international pharmaceutical supply chains, the integration of road, rail, and air freight is a prerequisite for the success of the current vaccination campaign. (Image: MCH Messe Schweiz (Basel) AG)

In view of international pharmaceutical supply chains, the integration of road, rail, and air freight is a prerequisite for the success of the current vaccination campaign. (Image: MCH Messe Schweiz (Basel) AG)

Cool transports are at the center of attention – both among industry visitors at trade fairs like Ilmac and in the general public. (Image: MCH Messe Schweiz (Basel) AG)

With data logger from the filling to the patient: temperature monitoring at the product level throughout the entire lifecycle of a pharmaceutical with contactless reading capabilities (Elpro, Buchs/Dividella, Grabs). (Image: MCH Messe Schweiz (Basel) AG)

Reaching low temperatures and guaranteeing them over long periods of time are currently among the vital tasks in pharmaceutical logistics. This has brought a lot of movement to the market and opens opportunities far beyond the pandemic era.

The vaccines against the coronavirus present very different requirements. Some need to be kept cold at -70 °C for extended periods (BioNTech/Pfizer), others at -20 °C (AstraZeneca), or even at 2 to 8 °C (Moderna, Johnson & Johnson).

But behind the cold numbers in degrees Celsius, one can sense an enormous research and development effort. Specialists from food logistics are suddenly offering customized cooling boxes for the pharmaceutical industry with its strict regulatory requirements.

Current transport solutions for the "last mile" include active electric cooling, online monitoring functions, and digital anti-theft seals. Data loggers allow real-time tracking of movements, temperature status, humidity, and inclinations of cooling boxes.

Ultracold transport containers are now designed using artificial intelligence. Especially in air freight, they guarantee a defined, constant temperature within a range of 60 °C to 80 °C for more than 120 hours. In today’s global logistics chains, this is an essential prerequisite for the success of any vaccination campaign.

But will we work completely differently in the future? The answer is quite clear: maybe already! Because there are already approaches to decentralized vaccine production using printing technologies. This would require the availability of mobile cleanrooms near vaccination sites and the supply of necessary raw materials. This is also a logistical challenge, albeit a very different one from current vaccination campaigns.

Therefore, it is crucial for the pharmaceutical industry and logistics to master current requirements while also looking into the future. This year's Ilmac makes current trends tangible and brings all partners together in Basel for idea exchange.