UPS Expands Capabilities for Drug and Vaccine Research

On July 5, 2016, UPS announced that it has expanded its clinical trial logistics capabilities to support drug and vaccine development. According to UPS, these enhancements include the healthcare compliant development of a shipping system for clinical investigator sites, expansion of the healthcare control tower network, package intercept and re-icing capabilities, and upgraded operations to move temperature-sensitive biological specimens in and out of more than 60 countries.

“As innovation in the biopharma industry evolves-and with the emergence of personalized therapies and growing direct-to-patient trends-research and development activity will only increase around the world. Our cost-effective portfolio streamlines logistics for clinical trials into one global network across sometimes remote, hard-to-reach locations,” Habib N’Konou, UPS senior operations director for clinical trials, said in a statement. “With drug research taking years at a cost in the billions, a product loss or damage, including falling out of temperature range, could mean a costly setback. Our recent improvements to our network can help reduce product loss or damage.”

UPS currently has more than 50 healthcare-dedicated facilities globally. The company offers temperature-sensitive storage and transportation, round-the-clock monitoring and security, and a single global IT order management platform.