The pharma supply chain is one of the most complex processes that needs special care and attention in order to provide patients with the medicines they need efficiently, and pharma supply chain process requires a set of steps to be carried out to the fullest extent, and the pharma supply chain if it is not done correctly This is very dangerous for pharmaceutical companies because improperly distributed medicines affect the company’s reputation and customer satisfaction, and this will also lead to negative effects on public health.

What is a pharma supply chain?

The pharma supply chain is the means by which medicines are manufactured and delivered to different companies, and it is one of the most complex supply chains, as it is a delicate process that can affect all parties.

The pharma supply chain process also goes through one of the basic steps until the medicines are distributed correctly, thus avoiding any negative effects on the company itself or on the health of patients.

How to Preserve Quality in the Pharma Cold Chain

There is great importance in maintaining quality in Pharma Cold Chain, and this was clearly highlighted by the previous period in the transportation of the Corona virus vaccines.

Maintaining quality standards in Pharma Cold Chain helps preserve medicines against exposure to contamination, so medicines arrive in time without any damage or spoilage.

In order to maintain the quality of Pharma Cold Chain, there are a range of modern technologies that help provide quality during the transportation process.

Also ranging from general logistics and warehousing to data-driven market forecasting, the most famous of which are:

• container temperature control techniques.
• Real-time insights tools.
• Scalable automation platforms.
• Smart contracts via the blockchain.

All of these tools will help you maintain the best possible quality of medicines during the cold supply chain, and this is very useful in pharma supply chain.

Preserving Pharmaceutical Quality in the Cold Chain

Here is a set of methods that will help you effectively in maintaining the quality of pharmaceuticals in the cold chain:

1. Packaging appropriately

The packaging process is of great importance, as it will help you maintain the quality of the pharmaceuticals in the cold chain, through its role in maintaining the recommended temperatures.

Therefore, always make sure to choose the appropriate packaging for pharmaceutical products, 

Which enables you to maintain the quality of the products packaged inside for the largest possible period of time, and thus the process of the pharma supply chain passes properly.

2. Regularly conduct extensive tests

One of the other ways that will help you maintain the quality of the pharmaceuticals in the cold chain is to carry out extensive testing periodically.

Which will help you discover and fix errors before it is too late, so you can rely on dynamic testing based on modern technologies such as the Internet of Things to obtain relevant data that helps you maintain the viability of pharma supply chain.

3. Rely on intelligent operations

There are many smart tools that will help you effectively in optimizing the process of pharma supply chain as well as maintaining the quality of pharmaceuticals in the cold chain.

These tools rely on artificial intelligence and machine learning, which will work on cold chain planning and automation tasks,

Which will positively affect and maintain the quality of pharmaceutical products.

These tools receive data, process it, store it, and then transform it into actionable insights that help you:

• Provide more favorable environmental conditions.
• Reduce operating costs.
• Advance planning for changes in the market
• Facing cases and shortages of supplies and customer requests.
• Provide real-time data solutions.

The importance of cold chain logistics to the pharmaceutical

Cold chain logistics make up more than a quarter of the pharmaceutical industry, according to 2019 statistics,

Especially as there is an increasing demand for temperature-controlled products.

Therefore, cold chain logistics is of great importance to the pharmaceutical industry,

And cold chain management has effective steps in safety aspects that will positively impact the pharmaceutical industry.

All of which will enable us to better cold chain monitoring the temperatures and track the pharmaceutical preparations through the pharma supply chain process in real time, the most important of which are:

• Temperature sensors.
• Data loggers.
• Cloud computing solutions

Types of pharmaceuticals transported globally

There are many types of pharmaceuticals that are transferred globally every day, but before we explain them we will first need to know the most important forms of pharmaceuticals that are moved:

• Liquid medicine, such as that taken by drinking.
• Ointments, such as creams.
• Solid medicine, such as pills or tablets.

All of these must be properly labeled and packaged to maintain their shelf life throughout the pharma supply chain, so as not to be spoiled by changes in climate.

As for the types of pharmaceuticals that are transferred globally, here are the points that show you the most important types of pharmaceuticals that are transferred globally at the present time:

• Biopharmaceuticals such as vaccines and tissues
• Prescription medications such as steroids
• Over-the-counter medications such as vitamins and supplements
• Raw materials and bulk pharmaceuticals such as chemical compounds.

How are pharmaceuticals transported long distance?

There is more than one way that pharmaceuticals can be transported over long distances, but in the case of urgent drug needs, the most appropriate method is air freight.

In general, most pharmaceuticals are shipped by air, especially high value pharmaceutical products.

By the way, this is the most common shipping method in the pharma supply chain.

At the same time, a number of companies receive their products by sea, and this is one of the most growing trends in the recent period in the field of cold logistics.