Pharmaceuticals are a delicate and expensive cargo that requires a high level of expertise to transport safely. Medicines, biological materials, and other pharmaceutical products are extremely vulnerable to temperature and moisture changes during transportation. Regardless if you are shipping ocean freight or cross country, it is important that you understand the complexities of shipping pharmaceuticals. Here are four key things you need to know before shipping:
1. Just a 2% temperature variation can ruin pharmaceuticals
7 out of every 10 types of pharmaceuticals can lose their efficacy in just a 2% temperature shift. With a loss of efficacy, there’s a risk of losing not only income, but lives. Weather patterns are highly unpredictable, so it is important that any transportation is temperature controlled.
2. Moisture from humidity can degrade pharmaceuticals
Another concern besides temperature is moisture. Moisture can degrade both the pharmaceuticals and their packaging, resulting in degradation, a loss of efficacy, and in some cases, product damage. Rain, snow, and humidity can create the conditions for excessive moisture in the cargo, so it is important that there is not only temperature control, but environmental control when shipping pharmaceuticals.
3. Pharmaceutical companies lose an average of $150,000 per shipment
Even with the knowledge that cargo must be temperature-controlled, there are still many factors that cause pharmaceutical cargo to be damaged. Pharmaceuticals are incredibly expensive so any loss during transportation will cost big.
4. Thermal pallet covers can protect pharmaceuticals
Pallet covers are a secondary form of protection. They work within a temperature and environmentally-controlled shipping container to help add further protection. SureTemp thermal pallet covers help bolster against damage from movement, but they also protect against sunlight, humidity, and both rising and falling temperatures. Thermal pallet covers are your best line of defense to protect against costly damage to your pharmaceuticals.
Whether you are a shipping company, an independent transport contractor, or a pharmaceutical company, it is important you understand these four things before transporting your pharmaceutical cargo. At Protek, we help pharmaceutical distributors mitigate the environmental risks and offer products that help protect this delicate cargo. We offer both bubble and fiber thermal pallet covers to help protect your cargo no matter what conditions you expect to face during transportation. If you are going to ship pharmaceuticals, give us a call at ProTek and we can help you put together a strategy so your cargo is transported securely.
