pharmaceutical supply chains

The traditional silo model of suppliers using localized logistics providers is no longer working.

Pharmaceutical companies often get nervous that carelessness by a transportation provider will spoil a shipment of COVID vaccines or other medicines. Airfreight experts say data sharing and teamwork can eliminate most glitches.

The Swiss logistics giant Kuehne + Nagel has extensive pharmaceutical experience and will handle the storage and transportation of COVID-19 vaccines for Moderna around the world.

Coronavirus vaccines require extreme levels of protection from organized crime organizations, nation states and others looking to steal shipments or valuable data. The U.S. government is stepping in with extra help for industry, including escorts by U.S. marshals.

Operation Warp Speed and the delivery of the Pfizer COVID vaccine are clicking on all cylinders, but that doesn’t mean production and distribution are going perfectly.

Informed pharmaceutical transportation means higher success.

Whether or not President Donald Trump’s optimism about an October surprise comes to fruition, there could be an approved coronavirus vaccine next year. A giant flotilla of all-cargo planes will be deployed to deliver the medicine around the world, but airlines are already short of capacity and there isn’t yet enough refrigerated infrastructure to safely store that much vaccine. Airlines are issuing a call to action.

Pharmaceutical supply chains are becoming increasingly complex as the path from production to consumption isn’t as linear as one may think.