3 Tech Trends That Could Improve Air Cargo Shipping In The Pharma Supply Chain

Over the last decade, exciting changes have transformed the pharmaceutical industry. For example, scientific advancements, particularly those that have contributed to the rise in biologics, are increasing the complexity of patient treatments and pharmaceutical products. In addition, many manufacturers are expanding their global footprints to address unmet patient needs in smaller populations across the world.

However, these factors and more are impacting the ability of supply chain stakeholders to deliver therapies to their destinations in a timely manner and, for temperature-sensitive drugs, without affecting their efficacy and integrity. This is especially challenging in air cargo pharma supply chains, where pharmaceutical goods pass through many different operators and a lack of information flow among them threatens time- and temperature-sensitive packages.¹

With the amount of pharmaceuticals outpacing growth in overall air cargo by nearly a percentage point per year since 2008,² expectations are mounting for innovative and sophisticated solutions that address the challenges with information flow across the air cargo supply chain. The following three technology trends could help mitigate airfreight logistics risks, reduce costs related to transportation issues and/or temperature excursions and, most importantly, help manufacturers deliver high-quality drugs safely and on time.