LOGISTICS
WITH THE PATENTS for many of the lucrative ‘ blockbuster ’ drugs of the 1980s and ‘ 90s expiring , the pharmaceutical industry has been forced to diversify to address the question of what comes after this so-called patent cliff . As they do so , it is becoming increasingly clear that the temperature-controlled supply chain is set to play a vital role in supporting the trade in global pharmaceuticals .
This is particularly the case when it comes to biopharmaceuticals and biotechnology ; the largemolecule biopharmaceuticals and biotechnology products that are emerging as a clear alternative to the small-molecule drugs of the blockbuster era .
With estimates that the global biopharmaceutical market will exceed sales worth $ 166 billion by 2017 , this really could offer pharmaceutical organisations the perfect response to the patent cliff .
There is however a key challenge that needs to be overcome ; that biopharmaceuticals are much less stable than small-molecule drugs . Many are produced with monoclonal antibodies ( MABs ) – bacteria derived from cell lines – which are incredibly fragile and require a stable temperature at all times .
As technology progresses we will see an increase in these hightech , fragile medications that need to be transported by only the most