To make the supply chain successful it is extremely important for all involved. To achieve this, it is often complex and dependent on numerous factors. However, if you narrow these facts down, they can be categorised into the three Ts: Transportation, Temperature and Theft.
Transportation
Most medicines are sensitive when transported which requires precise temperature control and special packing and shipping methods. The time in which personalised medicines are delivered is very tight, often less than two weeks from patient testing, drug developments, shipping, and administration.
Precision treatments are vulnerable during transport. The only way to preserve medication integrity and efficacy with global delivery is through controlled and specialised shipping. With advanced technology you can be sure personalised medicine is kept stable throughout the transportation and delivered on time to the patient.
Temperature
A refrigerated truck and passive packaging are current options to address cargo temperatures for medications, but these can be ineffective for medications which require a fixed temperature. Drugs which contain biological substances require precise temperatures and are sensitive to change when being shipped. If variations occur in temperature the efficacy of the drug will be diminished.
When vulnerable treatments are being transported, drug supply chains ensure perfectly controlled conditions, the use of smart transportation and packaging with precise shipment tracking and internet to monitor medications is vital. Smart technology via connected sensors and devices will control temperature within specified parameters to ensure the medications remain stable and efficacious.
Precision medicine is on a ticking clock to be delivered- delays in transport lead to an increase in drug wastage. Smart transportation can be used to track the vehicles at every stage of the delivery process, while also offering route change in real time to help speed up the transportation.
Theft
Theft of medicated products is an existing and ever-growing concern. According to the Partnership for Safe Medicines theft during shipping and transportation can reach up to £30B a year, with averages of £4m per loss. Current solutions for this are GRPS-tracking for trucks, two-person teams and hard-sided trailers, offering some protection.
Manufacturers should install loT enabled devices for remote monitoring and artificial intelligence solutions to analyse potential threats to transport safety. Devices can record and report human behaviours, signalling a threat in real time. An example of this is if a truck takes an alternative route without managerial notice, it may indicate a concern like a hijacked truck. The management team can then take control, tracking the vehicle and lock the cargo.
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