Pfizer says it will cut vaccine production time almost in half
Pfizer told USA Today that it expects to nearly slice in half the amount of time it takes to produce a batch of Covid-19 vaccine from […]
Supply Chain/Logistics
South Africa pauses plan of utilizing AstraZeneca vaccine
South Africa will put on hold use of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 shot in its vaccination program, after data showed it gave minimal protection against mild-to-moderate infection […]
IATA unveils 2020 air freight data
Newly released 2020 numbers for global air freight markets showed that demand for air cargo decreased by 10.6% in 2020, compared to 2019 levels, according […]
Ocugen and Bharat Biotech reach vaccine commercialization agreement for US market
Ocugen, Inc., a biopharma company, and Bharat Biotech, a vaccines specialist, have entered into a definitive agreement to co-develop, supply and commercialize COVAXIN, Bharat’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate, for […]
AstraZeneca increases EU’s Q1 vaccine estimate to 40M
The Associated Press has reported that AstraZeneca—whose coronavirus vaccine was officially granted conditional authorization by the European Commission late last week—has agreed to supply nine […]
Pfizer, BioNTech reach 40-million dose agreement with COVAX
Pfizer and BioNTech SE announced an advance purchase agreement with COVAX for up to 40 million doses of their Covid-19 vaccine. Financial terms of the […]
SkyCell and Korean Air form transportation partnership
SkyCell, a manufacturer of data-driven temperature-controlled containers for the pharma industry, has partnered with Korean Air Cargo as it focuses on business development in Korea. […]
Vault introduces Covid-19 vaccination platform
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, Vault Health, a healthcare company that offers a supervised at-home and on-site saliva Covid-19 testing platform, has released an on-demand, […]
BioNTech raises vaccine distribution goal to 2 billion doses
BioNTech SE, Pfizer’s vaccine development partner, has boosted the 2021 delivery target for its Covid-19 vaccine to 2 billion doses, an increase from its previous […]
Kuehne+Nagel will distribute Moderna’s vaccine
Moderna and Kuehne+Nagel have reached an international supply chain arrangement to provide distribution and storage of Moderna’s Covid-19 mRNA vaccine. The news comes after the […]
Bayer and CureVac team up on potential vaccine
Bayer has signed an agreement with CureVac N.V., a biopharma company that manufactures medication based on messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA). Per the deal, Bayer will […]
New IATA air freight data released
November data for global air freight markets showed that freight volumes improved over October, but remain low when compared to 2019, according to the latest […]
European Commission approves Moderna vaccine
After Moderna recently said it would increase its global supply of its Covid-19 vaccine, today, the EU’s executive commission—formally known as the European Commission—has officially […]
Moderna raises vaccine supply estimate
Moderna said it will increase supply of its Covid-19 vaccine, from its original base-case global production estimate of 500 million to at least 600 million […]
Pfizer to supply US with 100 million more doses of vaccine
Pfizer and development partner BioNTech SE announced a second agreement with the US government to supply an additional 100 million doses of the companies’ Covid-19 vaccine from […]
IATA makes case that aviation employees be deemed essential for vaccination
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) asked governments to acknowledge that employees in the aviation sector be considered essential workers during the Covid-19 vaccine campaign, […]
Pelican BioThermal unveils ‘School of Cool’
Pelican BioThermal introduced School of Cool, an online learning platform that’s goal is to help customers and distributors build proficiency in temperature-controlled packaging technology. The […]
CCT involved in OWS’s vaccine distribution efforts
Cold Chain Technologies (CCT) was a supplier of specialty thermal packaging for the storage and transfer of Covid-19 vaccines in support of the US government’s […]
Covid-19 vaccine is here, but supplies will be tight
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is here, approved by FDA under an emergency use authorization (EUA) on Dec. 11. The Moderna version (also based on mRNA technology, and […]
HDA foundation captures specialty Rx distributor trends
New data released by the Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA) Research Foundation points to the supply chain efficiencies generated by HDA-member specialty drug distributors. According to […]
Schreiner MediPharm joins tracking standardization consortium
Schreiner MediPharm, a German specialty label developer, has joined DoseID, the US-based industry association launched in August that works to standardize the use of RFID […]
Carrier Pods to help tackle Covid-19 vaccine storage demands
SeaCube Containers LLC acquired 200 Carrier Pods monitored by Sensitech to help combat the projected need for refrigerated storage capacity and cargo visibility in support of Covid-19 vaccine […]
Latest IATA numbers suggest a mixed bag for air cargo
October data for global air freight markets showed that air cargo demand is improving, but at a slower speed than September, according to the International […]
Tjoapack invests $12M in Netherlands facility
Tjoapack, a contract packaging organization (CPO) for the pharma industry, has invested $12.1 million into its packaging and supply chain facility in Etten-Leur, Netherlands over […]
Vaccine storage & packaging market to balloon to $43.8B
The global vaccine storage and packaging market is projected to jump to $43.8 billion by 2027, according to a new study published by Polaris Market Research. […]
DoKaSch and Air Europa expand pharma product capabilities
DoKaSch Temperature Solutions and Air Europa have signed a master rental agreement for the use of DoKaScho’s temperature-controlled Opticooler packaging solution. The partnership opens up […]
Latest HDA Factbook outlines supply chain trends
Data published yesterday by the Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA) Research Foundation revealed that in 2019, approximately 93% of all US pharma sales were completed through […]
World Courier opens new sites in Asia, Africa
World Courier’s new Kenya office. Credit: World Courier World Courier, a specialty logistics company, opened a new clinical and commercial storage depot in Istanbul, Turkey, along […]
CSafe Global unveils an innovative look into shipment GPS
CSafe Global, a provider of powered, temperature-controlled air-freight containers for pharmaceuticals has officially launched the company’s real-time shipment visibility platform and technology, which was built by […]
Targeting Middle East logistics, companies demonstrate vaccine proactivity
As part of the “1 million kilos” charitable initiative, Kuehne+Nagel and Qatar Airways Cargo have donated air freight services to UNICEF to help combat Covid-19. […]
Logistics providers gear up for Covid-19 distribution
In a few weeks, if all goes well with FDA reviews and approvals, Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine will begin to be administered to healthcare workers in […]
Supply chain management giant doubles down on Covid fight
In response to the challenge associated with the storage and transportation of cold chain products, including frozen vaccines for Covid-19, UPS Healthcare, which continued major expansion […]
Partnership links immunotherapy and AI
Building on a business relationship that was established in 2019, BioNTech SE and InstaDeep Ltd have struck a multi-year partnership that, companies say, will employ […]
CCT dedicates new facility to dispensing Covid-19 vaccine
Cold Chain Technologies (CCT), a company that is no stranger to innovation, has opened up a new location in Lebanon, TN, a 255,000 sq.-ft. cold […]
DHL further propels investment in San Juan facility
DHL Global Forwarding is growing its 72,000 sq.-ft. certified life science station in San Juan, Puerto Rico by investing over $650,000 in further cold storage […]
Amazon Pharmacy is here; will it change the retail drug business?
It is probable that Amazon’s Nov. 16 announcement of the long-awaited Amazon Pharmacy has had a bigger impact on Wall Street than in drug distribution, […]
Pharma tech developer increases UNC Health’s footprint
Arxium, a provider of automation, workflow and inventory management solutions who over three years ago added upgraded software to its RIVA pharmacy-compounding system, has completed […]
Pharma Logistics and ConsortiEX join forces to foster supply chains
Pharma Logistics, a service provider operating out of its new Illinois-based reverse-distribution center, and ConsortiEX, a health care pharmacy IT company in Wisconsin, launched a […]
New IATA recommendations outline coronavirus vaccine distribution plan
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which previously noted that month-on-month global demand for air cargo in September increased 3.7% over August numbers, recently released […]
Catalent-cell therapy manufacturer deal now complete
Following an agreement Pharmaceutical Commerce originally reported being reached in late October, Catalent Pharma Solutions, Inc. has officially completed its acquisition of Bone Therapeutics’ manufacturing subsidiary, Skeletal […]
CCA debuts change management matrix
With a potential inoculation on the horizon, the Cool Chain Association (CCA) has launched a Covid-19 Distribution Change Management Matrix. Its objective: supporting airports with […]
Antares Vision Strengthens Traceability Position
Italian multinational Antares Vision, which offers customized inspection and track-and-trace systems, has been selected by the French judicial authority as the winner of the tender […]
UK’s Envision lands launch expert Two Labs
Envision Pharma Group, a UK-based scientific communications company, has acquired Two Labs, a strategic consulting and commercialization provider with a footprint in the US pharma domestic […]
Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine could present cold-chain concerns
In news reported by Reuters on Tuesday, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus indicated that it hopes to have a Covid-19 vaccine by end of […]
J. Knipper completes acquisition of Eagle Pharmacy
J. Knipper and Company, Inc., a supplier of pharma healthcare marketing services, and its affiliates (including its three-year-old specialty pharmacy, KnippeRx), have finalized the acquisition […]
Descartes expands last-mile delivery presence
Descartes Systems Group, a supply chain software firm that offers its technology to the pharmaceutical space, has purchased ShipTrack, a Canada-based provider of e-commerce final-mile […]
Progress on DSCSA compliance slows down in US pharma supply chain
The US pharmaceutical supply chain progressed by fits and starts during 2020 in its quest to enable end-to-end traceability along with compliance with the Drug […]
September air freight experiences growth
Month-on-month global demand for air cargo in September increased 3.7% over August numbers, according to the most recent data from the International Air Transport Association […]
Puerto Rico is poised for a greater supply chain role
OPINION The novel coronavirus has challenged the notion that our US supply chains were prepared, exposing limited logistics models, shuttering manufacturing lines, and causing personal […]
UK schedule for Covid vaccine delivery falls behind
Per a report by Reuters, the timetable for delivery of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine candidate (AZD1222, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) has slipped. UK vaccine chief Kate Bingham, […]
New application streamlines serialization techniques
TraceLink, a Massachusetts-based digital platform company for the life science supply chain, officially introduced Serialized Product Intelligence, a new cloud application that uses serialization data […]
Pact struck around thin-film freezing tech for Covid-targeted mAbs
TFF Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharma that recently increased its cGMP capabilities, and Augmenta Bioworks, Inc., a biotech that uses immune profiling technologies for medicinal purposes, have […]
Pfizer to coordinate its own coronavirus vaccine distribution
According to a published report by FreightWaves, pharma giant Pfizer will manage the distribution of its Covid-19 vaccine on its own instead of through the US […]
New HDA Research Foundation survey points to positivity for pharma supply chain
A survey released yesterday by the Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA) Research Foundation suggests that, overall, the pharmaceutical supply chain continues to make steady progress to […]
Sonoco ThermoSafe strengthens presence in ULD sector
Sonoco ThermoSafe, a temperature assurance packaging company, and AirBridge Cargo Airlines have signed a master lease agreement to offer Sonoco ThermoSafe’s new Pegasus unit load […]
Key certification for cargo company’s Covid vaccine preparations
FCS Frankfurt Cargo Services was recently granted EU good distribution practice (GDP) certification for medical products for human use—a key step in the company’s goal […]
Onfleet raises $14M in Series A funding for last-mile delivery services
Onfleet, a provider of last-mile delivery management software, has raised $14 million in Series A funding to meet rising customer demand. According to the San […]
Survey: Technology and drug pricing clarity key to industry recovery
Proposed moves aimed at gaining ‘most-favored nation’ drug pricing so that Medicare pays the same drug prices as other developed countries would face significant barriers […]
Schreiner MediPharm equips Cap-Lock security label with RFID technology
Schreiner MediPharm, a Germany-based provider of functional labels for the healthcare industry, has augmented its Cap-Lock tamper-evident specialty label with an RFID inlay. Cap-Lock label […]
Catalent to acquire cell therapy manufacturing facility in Belgium
Catalent has signed an agreement with Bone Therapeutics to acquire its cell therapy manufacturing subsidiary, Skeletal Cell Therapy Support SA, including all of its assets […]
US biopharmaceutical supply chain resilient and effective during early Covid-19 response
A new report published by the Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA) Research Foundation and Deloitte Consulting LLP found that during the first 90 days of the […]
Carrier Pods in combo with Sensitech provide new mobile cold storage option
New Carrier Pods monitored by Sensitech combine refrigeration technology and cargo monitoring capabilities to help address the challenges of Covid-19 vaccine distribution. Carrier and Sensitech […]
Trebor Rx to begin production of TPE respirator masks in Canada
Trebor Rx, a new venture in Canada, is launching PRO+ Dual Respirator masks, a patent-pending mask made of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) that can provide more […]
New alliance formed to serve biopharmaceutical and life sciences
Rapid Reshore & Development (RR&D), an alliance of three specialized firms working together to provide professional services for the life sciences and biopharmaceutical industries, has […]
Envirotainer adds four new RAP e2 stations in the US
Envirotainer, a global provider of temperature-controlled air freight equipment and technology for pharmaceuticals, is increasing its RAP e2 network capacity in the US by 57 […]
CSafe expands further into Latin America
CSafe Global, provider of temperature-controlled containers for the transport of pharmaceuticals, has opened a new hub operation in Mexico City, the second largest pharmaceutical market […]
Reflect Scientific awarded patent for low temperature bulk shipping system
Reflect Scientific, Inc. has been awarded a patent for a cryogenic modular shipping unit that can uniformly maintain its payload at temperatures as low as […]
LaunchWorks makes FDA list of approved viral transport media vendors
LaunchWorks, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) serving the life sciences market, has been approved to manufacture and distribute viral transport media (VTM), in […]
SkyBitz and Coretex enter strategic alliance to integrate reefer and trailer tracking
IoT telematics company SkyBitz and fleet logistics technology provider Coretex are partnering to provide pharmaceutical, food and other customers with improved safety and quality assurance […]
UNICEF to stockpile more than a half billion syringes by year end
In anticipation of forthcoming Covid-19 vaccine approvals, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced plans to stockpile 520 million syringes in its warehouses, part of […]
UK importers/exporters warned to take immediate action as Brexit nears
Many businesses trading abroad ‘are in the dark’ about what they should be doing to prepare financially for the Brexit January 1, 2021 deadline, according […]
Digi unit meets expected CDC monitoring guidelines for Covid-19 vaccines
The SmartSense division of Digi International announced this week that its monitoring services meet expected guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention […]
DataLase launches functional masterbatch additive for plastics integration
DataLase, a photonic printing specialist, has developed a masterbatch additive suitable for a range of plastics for pharmaceutical, medical and other industries. The additive addresses […]
Drone deliveries of cold chain medicines begin in rural North Carolina
Volansi, Inc., an on-demand aerial delivery service for time-critical shipments, has begun delivering cold chain medicines from Merck’s Wilson, N.C. manufacturing site to Vidant Healthplex-Wilson, […]
Etihad Cargo to utilize latest CSafe high-performing containers for flights
Etihad Cargo has approved the use of CSafe Global’s high-performing container, the CSafe RAP, across its global fleet of wide-body and freighter aircraft. CSafe Global […]
BioLife division gets $2.7m cold chain and storage contract for Covid-19 vaccines
BioLife Solutions, Inc.’s recently acquired SciSafe division has been awarded a two-year contract estimated at $2.7 million from an unnamed ‘large pharmaceutical company’ for cold […]
Covectra introduces suite of services for comprehensive serialization and traceability
Covectra has launched a suite of serialization and track & trace engineering, integration and consulting options to complement its products and services, allowing businesses to […]
Air transport groups find ‘a concerning lack of readiness’ for Covid-19 vaccine logistics
The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) and Pharma.Aero, a cross-industry consortium focused on reliable end-to-end air transportation for pharmaceutical shippers, this week sounded an alarm […]
Momentive Technologies and Stevanato Group collaborate on vials packaging
Momentive Technologies and Stevanato Group agreed to supply Momentive’s Pur Q fused quartz vials in Stevanato’s EZ-fill packaging format. The Pur Q vials are ultra-high-purity […]
Authentix acquires Bibliotheca anticounterfeiting unit
Authentix, Inc., an authentication and information service based in Addison, TX, has acquired the Traceless Authentication Group from Bibliotheca, Inc. a library systems company serving […]
Balaxi Ventures renamed to better reflect its core focus on pharma
India’s Ministry of Corporate Affairs has granted formal approval to Balaxi Ventures Ltd to change the company’s name to Balaxi Pharmaceuticals Ltd. The move received […]
Meeting the challenges of rapid Covid-19 vaccine cold chain deployment
For months, pharmaceutical organizations and researchers worldwide have been focused on developing a vaccine for Covid-19. “Operation Warp Speed” (OWS), a collaboration among several U.S. […]
Mapi Pharma earmarks space for vaccine production facility
Mapi Pharma Ltd., a late clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, plans to dedicate production capacity at its Jerusalem Har-Hotzim manufacturing facility for upcoming Covid-19 vaccines destined […]
‘Green’ new reefer trailer being tested for pollution-free shipping of biologics
Reflect Scientific, Inc., a provider of products and services for the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and transportation industries, has been testing an electric-powered heavy-duty truck to potentially […]
International logistics firm takes steps to build supply chain visibility and resiliency
Chicago-based project44, a supply chain visibility and logistics service, announced a series of new capabilities offering enhanced collaboration, automation and predictive insights to help shippers […]
MilliporeSigma making headway on new membrane production plant
Progress continues on MilliporeSigma’s new $165-million membrane production plant in Darmstadt, Germany, part of an overall $1.2 billion global headquarters investment that Merck KGaA announced […]
New line of thermal packaging hits the market
Packaging Technology Group, Inc., a provider of thermal packaging for the biopharmaceutical and life sciences sector, has initiated a new line of off-the-shelf pre-qualified shippers, […]
J&J and Europe agree on Janssen Covid-19 vaccine candidate, subject to regulatory okay
The European Commission (EC), acting on behalf of the European Union (EU) member states, has approved an advance purchase agreement in which the Janssen Pharmaceutical […]
Carrier cold chain initiative targets growing vaccine demand
Carrier Global Corp., a provider of cold chain assets and intelligence, has launched a program designed to help meet the rapidly evolving cold chain demands […]
Sandoz launches its first RFID-tagged critical injectable medicines
Sandoz Inc.’s first two injectable medicines featuring Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags will become available to U.S. hospitals beginning this month through a collaborative effort […]
Fresh perspectives on pandemic response
While still a “card-carrying pharmacologist” today, Dr. Nicolette Louissaint points out proudly, the trained chemical engineer, with an accomplished academic background in biological and molecular […]
From pain to practice?
The global coronavirus pandemic has triggered fear that the global and extended pharmaceutical supply chain would crumble. In practice, it has proved remarkably resilient with […]
3PL selection as part of product launch process
It might seem that in this world of distancing and delays, working with external partners would be one of the most difficult parts of launching […]
RFID tagging is back for pharma traceability—for real
According to its press release, DoseID is “the first member-driven industry consortium for the use of radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology in the healthcare space.” That […]
US Covid-19 vaccine distribution will start with McKesson
Saying it is “expanding an existing partnership with the Centers for Disease Control,” the Irving, TX firm has announced its designation as the “centralized” distributor […]
Now, ‘freezer farms’ for potential Covid-19 vaccine delivery
Pharma logistics providers have long experience in cold chain management—generally, keeping pharmaceuticals at 2-8°C during storage and shipment. The push in recent years for cellular […]
Pharma Logistics’ grand opening of its reverse-distribution center
Pharma Logistics has officially opened its new reverse-distribution center in Libertyville, expanding and combining previous operations in Mundelein and Libertyville, IN. Part of the growth […]
Sonoco ThermoSafe will sponsor an industry-wide cold-chain blockchain
For several years now, various players around the logistics of temperature-senstive pharmaceuticals have looked into blockchain technology, and some have adopted blockchain-like features in their […]
Pandemic drug distribution: dealing with a ‘slow motion hurricane’
Following right behind the intense buzz around vaccines for Covid-19 is the buzz for how approved vaccines (and therapies) will get to 330 million American […]
Survey sees continued drive toward more sustainable cold-chain packaging solutions
For several years now, Pelican Biothermal has been promoting the use of reusable, high-performance packaging in cold chain shipments; to this end it has established […]
2020 Pharma Traceability Vendor Directory
PharmaComm directory-Jun 2020 The post 2020 Pharma Traceability Vendor Directory appeared first on Pharmaceutical Commerce.
Spinning up the pharma traceability wheel
There are centrifugal and centripetal forces carrying along the drive toward pharma traceability today: forces that bring the pharma supply chain into a more united […]
DHL Supply Chain boosts its US life sciences investment by $70 million
Having committed $150 million to life sciences resources in the US in 2019, DHL Supply Chain is upping its ante with a new round of […]
United Cargo, DSV and Va-Q-Tec combine for frozen plasma delivery
United Cargo says that it has been working with logistics partners to deliver approximately 35,000 lb of blood plasma, weekly, among a variety of international […]
How to ensure conformance to EPCIS standards in drug traceability
Within the next 30 months, some US pharmaceutical wholesalers are planning to be traceability-ready in accordance with the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA). To […]
Sensitech upgrades its real-time cold-chain tracking capabilities
The SensiWatch Platform employs IoT data-collection instruments and data-management tools, the better to provide an end-to-end visibility of shipments, including both geo- and condition (temperature, […]
