COOL CHAIN\\\ >> 14


by commercial factors.”


With media reports of the need


for 8,000 aircraſt for vaccine upliſt, capacity requirements


will not


drop significantly unless contract manufacturing takes hold and more temperature-stable second- and third-generation vaccines begin to arrive. Meanwhile he says, cold storage development is


Issue 8 2020 - Freight Business Journal


of pallet positions dedicated to temperature-controlled cargo. Developed countries have


taking place


at or near airports around the world - converting any enclosed warehouse or storage space to store goods at 2°C to 8°C or, where possible, colder. Cargo and other airlines are scrambling to expand the space and number


hedged their bets by negotiating with multiple developers and placing orders for quantities of vaccine that far exceed the needs of their populations. They are worried some vaccines won’t be as effective or safe as others, or won’t get ultimate approval and reach the market. So any overflow or surplus could be resold elsewhere or funnelled into the humanitarian pipeline. India will play a pivotal role. It is


the world’s second most-populous country and has an enormous concentration of pharma industry


More questions than answers says Cool Chain Association


The global cool chain industry is grappling with the unknown. Not only does it not yet know when the Covid vaccine will be ready to be shipped, or in what quantities, but also what the temperature requirements and parameters will be. The preparedness – or otherwise of air carriers, airports, handlers, warehouses and ground transport operators is another imponderable. How well-equipped is the medical supply chain – and indeed, clinics and hospitals


–


particularly in the developing world, to cope with the needs of a delicate, temperature-sensitive product? At the moment, there are more


questions than firm answers about the vaccine. Will it be released bit by bit in small quantities by the manufacturers? Or, is it possible that manufacturers will start making and stockpiling the vaccine ahead of expected regulatory approval, in which case a torrent of the product will descend upon the supply chain at short notice? And in the major vaccine-producing countries and regions, will governments prioritise their own populations first before allowing the vaccine to be shipped abroad? In such an uncertain world,


its essential that all the different players – manufacturers, distributors, airlines, ground handlers and logistics firms – work together in a transparent manner and share information, says Nicola Caristo, secretary general of the Cool Chain Association (and airline partner manager at pharma wholesaler SkyCell). Just one of the issues he is


currently contemplating is the probable need to ship products at very low temperatures of -80°C “which is absolutely a challenge”. The low temperatures could be necessary because the behaviour of the new vaccine in different temperature regimes has not yet been adequately mapped. While limited quantities of deep-frozen products are airfreighted currently, packed in solid carbon dioxide (‘dry ice’), doing this on a large scale is quite another matter. A wider issue, Caristo continues,


is that while it is possible to ascertain how ready individual airports, airlines and so on are for the vaccine airliſt, getting a total picture is much more difficult. Can airports cope if all their carriers start to ship temperature-controlled vaccines simultaneously? Emirates has announced that it


is creating the world’s largest hub for distribution of the vaccine in Dubai, but that country is in the fortunate position of having what is in effect virtually a spare airport; capacity is much more constrained in other parts of the world. Dubai will though be a vital transhipment hub for many parts of the world served by Emirates and the other Middle East carriers, such as Africa and many parts of Asia. “Some airlines and airports are very well prepared, those that


especially are CEIV-accredited,


but the vaccine will need to go everywhere,” says Caristo. Airports, handling and ground transport in the developing world are a particular concern. The Cool Chain Association (CCA) can act as a facilitator to help the industry, he


adds. Moreover, the great vaccine


airliſt will be happening at a time when the world’s scheduled airlines have drastically cut back their flights in the face of a slump in passenger travel, removing much of the world’s bellyhold capacity at a stroke. Currently, bellyhold space is down by about 80%, Caristo estimates, and even the upsurge in charter and freighter operations has not completely filled the gap. Perhaps the airlines can be


persuaded to put some of their passenger aircraſt back into service as cargo carriers to fill the gap, as they have to some extent already been doing – though, as Caristo points out, putting temperature- controlled cargo on seats inside the passenger cabin is definitely not an option. However, passenger- freighters could be used to carry other, ambient, cargo, freeing up bellyhold and freighter space for temperature-controlled vaccines. It’s not just aircraſt capacity that is


a concern – it’s equally important to ensure that suitable temperature- controlled warehousing is available at destination and, possibly, transhipment points. However, it might well be possible to convert existing capacity. Caristo adds that it’s important


not to lose sight of the fact that the global supply chain still needs to transport other vitally important vaccines around the world. Meanwhile, the entire cool chain


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contract manufacturers and expertise. There is a large group of manufacturers in the Hyderabad area, and they will be tapped by developers


to manufacture


vaccines on a contract basis. Currently, it looks as though half India’s vaccine output – much of it from those Hyderabad manufacturers – will be for the Indian population and the other half for export. Already, says Ten


Kate,


airlines are looking at flying into secondary Indian airports, perhaps using them as staging posts in the supply chain. But the weakest link in the whole global supply chain is the


final mile. Local distribution will be difficult in countries where there are not enough logistics providers with Good Distribution Practice (GDP) certification - not all of them can safely handle or distribute or collect vaccines. Because of the need to track


every dose in a very secure way, this could be the moment when Blockchain or distributed ledger technology could prove itself on a global level. It could help track doses, maintain quality control, prevent counterfeiting, and discourage theſt, or even state- condoned purloining of supplies meant for other countries. Sadly, theſt or counterfeiting


industry is working around the clock to ensure that it is as ready as it can be for the corona virus upliſt, whenever that is. It’s possible that it will start moving in quantities from the end of this year or early 2021, or maybe later, but it all depends on the outcome of the different clinical trials going on around the world. CCA members do a lot more


of medicines of all kinds has become an issue in recent years and there is no reason to suppose that the Covid vaccine will be any different. Modern IT systems can control this to some extent by keeping track of batch and serial numbers, but not all parts of the world are geared up to do this. IT will have a vital role in keeping


shipments of the vaccine safe and secure, and also in ensuring that it has been maintained at the correct temperature throughout. Ten Kate says that it there may well be instances of batches having to be discarded because of temperature ‘excursions’, particularly during


the early


than move pharmaceuticals around the world, of course. Many of them deal mostly, or exclusively, with foodstuffs such as fish or fruit and vegetables. The normal modus operandi of the airfreight operators is to carry pharma and foodstuffs on the same aircraſt – subject to rules on mixing some types of cargo, of course. When the


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stages as experience is gained in transporting the vaccine. At least instant availability of information means that replacements could be ordered immediately. The final question is when


is the vaccine likely to start moving in quantity? While some governments have suggested that it could be made available to groups such as health workers or very vulnerable people before the end of the year, the major push isn’t likely until some time in the first quarter of 2021, Ten Kate suggests. This would at least mean that the traditional Christmas rush in airfreight is over and that capacity is relatively plentiful.


vaccine airliſt gets underway, it’s possible that some capacity will be diverted from food to pharma, but Caristo anticipates that much of the extra space will in fact be provided for by special charters rather than scheduled carriers; indeed even today, many major movements of other types of vaccines generally use chartered aircraſt.


Clandestine Inltration, Pallets Moved in Transit, Incorrect Temperature, Food Safety Compromised?


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