COVID-19 Vaccine & Critical Asset Monitoring for Temperature-Controlled Logistics

The global health crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a race among researchers and pharmaceutical companies to rapidly develop a new coronavirus vaccine. While vaccine development typically takes about 10-15 years, the fastest vaccine ever developed was done in just four. Researchers are working to complete the COVID-19 vaccine in less than a year, a timeline that is simply unheard of in the life sciences industry.

While a new vaccine usually goes through several phases of pre-clinical and clinical trials before being approved for use, some of these phases are being combined or eliminated in order to speed the time to market for a COVID-19 vaccine. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are 26 COVID-19 vaccine candidates currently in the human trial phase.

Ultra-Low Temperature Requirements

MarketWatch reports that vaccines being developed by across the world. Oxford University backed by AstraZeneca from the UK, BioNTech backed by Pfizer from Germany, Moderna has more than 1,900 participants enrolled in their infectious disease vaccine clinical studies under health authorities in the U.S., Europe and Australia. And they all require stringent refrigeration standards which would impact distribution and availability. According to the report, Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine candidate requires a storage temperature of negative 4 degrees Fahrenheit, while BioNTech and Pfizer’s candidates require a storage temperature of negative 94 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pfizer indicated that it will require the use of thermal shipper storage and ultra-low freezers for its vaccine candidates, which will certainly have an impact on its competitive positioning. While all three companies are developing mRNA vaccines, which require more strict temperature controlled logistics standards, not all COVID-19 vaccine candidates currently in clinical trials are mRNA vaccines. The extremely low refrigeration standards have brought the need for temperature-controlled transportation solutions, such as critical asset monitoring, into focus.

Pharmaceutical Supply Chains

According to a report by Grand View Research, the global pharmaceutical logistics market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.3% from 2020 to 2027.

“The biotechnology and pharmaceutical supply chains are particularly prone to the risks associated with product adulteration during transport as well as non-compliance with federal regulations, standards, and guidelines,” Grand View Research explains. “As a result, the players are actively investing in state-of-the-art technologies such as telematics and remote monitoring to provide safety and convenience during transportation operations, which is, in turn, propelling the market growth.”

Critical Asset Monitoring

Real-time condition monitoring and visibility services give pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies the ability to reduce risk, accelerate delivery, and improve the efficiency of their global, multi-modal logistics. Critical Asset Monitoring by KORE is a comprehensive solution based on advanced trackers, sensors, cloud analytics, reporting tools, and a suite of managed services. It provides detailed, real-time insights into the supply chain, including alerts for temperature deviations as well as shock events, route anomalies, late departures/arrivals, and more.

Ensuring the safety and timeliness of global shipments has always been challenging, but it’s even more critical when it comes to delivering safe, timely, and effective vaccines and therapeutics during a global pandemic.

Talk to a Critical Asset Monitoring expert to learn how to improve your pharmaceutical logistics and compliance capabilities for temperature-controlled and sensitive shipments.