Pharma Logistics News Recap: July, 2018
We look back at some of the past month's most interesting industry news.
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DuPont and SkyCell forge strategic alliance in pharma logistics
A formal alliance has been announced for collaboration on technical and market development between DuPont Safety & Construction, the manufacturer of Tyvek brand thermal cargo covers, and SkyCell, the Swiss-based manufacturer of temperature-controlled containers for food and pharmaceuticals.
The companies are hoping the partnership leads to major innovations across temperature monitoring, shipment tracking, asset management and ‘smart’ data-driven services. The combined effort is aimed at maintaining the physical and clinical integrity of pharmaceuticals in transit.
Under the terms of the agreement, DuPont will gain access to SkyCell’s remote temperature-management solutions and expertise and acquire marketing rights to the SkyCell portfolio of insulated shipping containers. The SkyCell containers will be marketed by DuPont alongside its 'Tyvek' products. SkyCell will meanwhile be in a position to tap into the technical resource of DuPont and will benefit from DuPont’s reach in emerging markets and the Asia-Pacific region.
SAVSU Technologies awarded new patent for cold chain technologies used in cell and gene therapies
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SAVSU Technologies, a developer of smart, precision biologic shipping containers and cloud-based cold chain management SaaS solutions, announced that the USPTO issued a notice of allowance of patent number 10,018,614 B2, titled "Biologic Stability, Delivery Logistics and Administration of Time and/or Temperature Sensitive Biologic Based Materials".
SAVSU has been granted three patents and has six other pending patent applications related to novel innovations incorporated into current, or to be incorporated into future, precision thermal shipping containers under the evo brand, including models that precisely maintain biologic payload temperature stability across the entire shipping continuum including -196°C using liquid nitrogen dry vapor shippers, -80°C using dry ice, and 2° - 8°C and controlled room temperature (CRT) using conditioned phase change insulating materials. These patent applications also include claims related to the evo.is Cold Chain Software as a Service (SaaS) live cell visibility platform.
Investors backing cold chain technology firm Tessol
Tessol, a Mumbai-based startup specializing in fuel-saving refrigeration technologies, cold chain storage and logistics solutions, has raised an undisclosed amount in a bridge round from equity crowd funding platform 1Crowd. Existing investors Infuse Ventures and Ankur Capital also participated in the round, according to the company, which will reportedly use the raised capital to enhance its existing product portfolio and seed projects.
Tessol, which was founded by Rajat Gupta, an Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi and Harvard University graduate, in 2013, was taken over by Thermal Energy Service Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Tessol’s PLUGnCHILL system, offering refrigerated transport of perishables, was launched to provide an end-to-end solution for a sustainable agricultural and pharmaceutical cold chain.
Air France KLM Cargo expands digital platform for pharmaceutical shipments
Air France KLM Martinair Cargo announced that its digital platform myCargo app, so far used to track general cargo and provide quotations, is now available for the pharma supply chain.
The app allows customers to track real time temperatures, battery levels in dry ice units and voltage levels of active containers during transit at the Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris Charles de Gaulle hubs.
The roll out follows testing across several European countries and the airline group said it expects to develop its visibility solutions further by the end of the year.
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Kuehne+Nagel to open pharma hub in Chile
Kuehne+Nagel PharmaChain announced an August launch of a new logistics hub in Santiago de Chile to provide multi-modal logistics for temperature-controlled door-to-door transport.
The 17,600 sq meter hub provides storage and distribution of temperature-sensitive products, which can be extended to 23,300 sqm, including a cold chamber to handle temperature requirements of 15 to 25°C and 2 to 8°C. An upgraded laboratory for quality control will also allow customers to carry out local analysis and compliance of imported pharmaceutical products. GMP compliant repackaging and relabeling services in accordance with Chilean and international specifications will be available.
Va-Q-tec opens Latin American head office and site Uruguay
Germany-based temperature controlled packaging supplier Va-Q-tec has a new Latin American head office and site in Montevideo, Uruguay, that will function as a base for the company’s rental services and as a fulfilment station.
According to the company, Montevideo’s position as a gateway for pharma distribution in the region was a major attraction, offering well-connected airport facilities and easy access to major roads across the country, as well as close proximity to other pharmaceutical centers in Latin America. Uruguay also offers a strong service sector and is undertaking public initiatives designed to appeal to more foreign investments.
