Safely ship medicines refrigerated abroad
Short answer: ship temperature-sensitive medicines abroad in an EPS box with conditioned gel packs, in line with the GDP guidelines, and record the temperature along the way with a data logger. For short routes, an insulated bag may be enough. For 2 to 8 °C over several days, choose a thick-walled box with pre-conditioned packs. Always test the combination on your own route.
Medicines have to be shipped carefully and with suitable cooling elements to retain their quality and efficacy during transport abroad. In this blog we explain what to look out for when shipping temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products.
Why is chilled shipping important?
Many medicines, in particular biological medicines, vaccines and certain injectable products, are temperature-sensitive. An environment that is too warm or too cold can affect the efficacy of the medicine. Strict temperature control during transport is therefore important.
GDP guidelines
The Good Distribution Practice (GDP) guidelines apply to pharmaceutical transport. These guidelines prescribe how medicines must be handled during transport and storage, including temperature monitoring and recording. Read more in our article What are GDP guidelines?
Choosing the right packaging
At Cooled Solutions, we are happy to advise you on the right combination of insulating packaging and coolants. For longer transports, EPS boxes with gel packs are often the best choice. For shorter shipments, an insulated bag is enough.
What is different about a shipment abroad?
With a domestic shipment, the route is often short and predictable. Abroad, the chance of delay increases. There is more transhipment, there are borders and sometimes a flight. That calls for a larger margin in your packaging.
- Journey time: calculate with the longest reasonable journey time, not the average. A parcel that is planned to be two days in transit may need three or four.
- Transhipment and waiting time: at a depot or airport, a parcel can stand for hours in an uncooled space.
- Climate en route: the destination can be much warmer or colder than your point of departure.
- Agreements with the carrier: not every carrier offers chilled handling. Ask in advance what is possible and which conditions apply.
Step-by-step plan for your first shipment abroad
- Determine the temperature range on the basis of the product specification.
- Choose the packaging on the basis of the expected journey time plus a margin. View our EPS boxes and insulated boxes.
- Choose the cooling elements. For 2 to 8 °C, conditioned packs or PCM packs are usual. Ordinary frozen ice can make the product too cold.
- Run a test shipment with a data logger on the real route and in a representative season.
- Read out the logger and, if necessary, adjust the number of cooling elements or the box.
- Record the method in a short procedure, so that everyone who packs does it in the same way.
How to pack
- Prepare the cooling elements according to your recorded procedure before you fill the box.
- Place the elements around the product, not only underneath it.
- Avoid direct contact between a cold element and the product if the product must not freeze. Use an intermediate layer.
- Fill empty space so that the product cannot shift.
- Place the logger with the product, not against the wall.
- Close the box with the matching lid and seal it with tape. See our range of tape.
- Label the box clearly and give the carrier the right instructions.
What do you record per shipment?
A simple fixed list prevents discussion if something goes wrong. Think of:
- date and time of packing and of departure
- box used and number of cooling elements
- starting temperature or conditioning time of the cooling elements
- number of the logger and the temperature data read out
- moment of receipt and who checked the shipment
This allows you to demonstrate afterwards what happened, and to improve your configuration step by step.
Common mistakes
- Too little margin in the journey time, so that the cooling elements are spent before the parcel arrives.
- A route that was tested only in winter and is used in summer.
- A logger that is not read out, or whose data nobody keeps.
- Cooling elements that are used too cold for products that must not freeze.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a box stay cold?
That depends on the outside temperature, the wall thickness, the filling and the cooling elements. A general indication is given in our article how long does a polystyrene foam box stay cold. For medicines, always test it yourself.
May I simply send medicines with a parcel service?
That differs per product, per country and per carrier. Consult your responsible person for quality and the carrier about the conditions. As a packaging supplier, we cannot give legal advice on this.
Which products help further?
See also cold chain packaging for medicines and the article on vaccines and biological medicines.
Would you like advice on the right solution for your pharmaceutical transport? Then please contact our sales support team via the contact page.
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Need the right packaging straight away? View our EPS boxes, cooling elements and cold chain packaging for the pharma sector.
