How to ship Antivirals and Clinical Trials to China

China is the world’s second-largest market for pharmaceuticals and the fastest emerging market for the sector. However, shipping to and from China is challenging because of tightening guidelines and increasing charges for disposable solutions. Furthermore, pharma containers classified as aircraft equipment can not leave the airport. The reloading of the goods at the airport and insufficient protection of the products during road transportation generate frequent temperature deviations in shipments, which require CAPAs, which in turn delay product release. This is the reason why clients decide to implement SkyCell solutions in this area.

A door-to-door supply chain is key

SkyCell not only offers the safest container solution worldwide, we also have a special angle to tackle the Chinese market. The SkyCell operations team has established a special process in agreement with Shanghai and Beijing customs which allows our containers to leave airports in China and be delivered door-to-door to bonded and non-bonded warehouses. This eliminates the risk factor of unloading the products at the airport and reduces future audit effort for unloading sites at the airport. In this way, temperature deviations can be prevented through a closed cold chain which results in an accelerated time-to-market. In a competitive market like China where short lead times are crucial, a seamless and reliable door-to-door supply chain can be a strategic weapon.

SkyCell containers have been deployed to transport antibodies, used for organ and stem cell transplantation, from Germany to China. Discover the latest results of our shipment to Beijing:

• Month: June
• Route: Munich to Beijing
• Temperature range: +2° to +8°C
• Duration: 4 days

Take a look at the SkyCell Temperature Tracking System: the temperature inside the container stays at a steady 5°C (blue line) meanwhile the ambient temperature (red line) varies between +4° to +31°C. Thanks to the self-recharging function of the container, it can be transported at 5°C for an unlimited period of time and recharges itself in this refrigerated environment. This is achieved without electricity or mechanical components, which makes the container both easy to handle and independent of the capacity of the infrastructure.

Results

• Considerable time savings
• Immediate product release to the market
• Saving 9.13 tons of CO₂

A regular transport of one US pallet with an RKN solution would have produced 23.56 tons of CO₂ emissions. According to the independent analysis conducted by the renowned and global myclimate organization, SkyCell containers saved 9.13 tons of CO₂ per US pallet on this trip compared with commonly used solutions.

Commonly used solution: 755kg volumetric weight incl. cargo, SkyCell 1500 incl. cargo 635kg.

To help grasp how much 9.13 tons of CO₂ are: it is equivalent to the emissions of one car driving 61’000 km, one and a half times around the globe.