Pharmaceuticals are some of the most important cargo shipped throughout America. Depending on the type of medication, pharmaceuticals can provide everything from relief from mild inconveniences like indigestion to life-saving medicines that prevent heart attacks or helps regulate diabetes. This is the primary reason that more precautions should be taken to protect pharmaceuticals when shipping, and insulated packaging is one of the solutions that provide results.
Solids & Fluids Need Insulated Packaging
Pharmaceuticals come in two primary varieties. Solid pharmaceuticals typically appear in pill, capsule, or gel caplet form. This type of pharmaceutical is more physically durable and often benefits from added protection in the form of the pill bottle itself. The other format is pharmaceuticals as a fluid, common for oral medications or those administered in vaccine form. These may have additional packaging in the form of bottles for protection, or they may not if they are meant to be used in a hypodermic needle.
Both types, however, have specific needs with regard to temperature.
Temperature=Effectiveness
A key factor in maintaining the viability of pharmaceuticals is temperature. Different pharmaceuticals will have a different ideal range for storage. Some will be ideally stored at 36 degrees while others may do well at 80 degrees. This is where insulated packaging comes to the fore.
Insulated packaging helps pharmaceuticals retain the original temperature they were stored in. This is crucial when the unforeseen occurs, such as a shipping delay. For example, if a problem occurs at a warehouse where cargo is transferred from trains to trucks, pharmaceuticals may be left sitting in the sun for hours until the issue is resolved.
Without insulated packaging, delays can expose pharmaceuticals to extended periods of exposure and temperature change. This extended exposure can dramatically reduce the efficacy of drugs, in some cases even rendering them useless. By taking the precaution of using insulated packaging, delays are just that; delays, instead of resulting in lost cargo, lost revenue, and even investigations.
