Case study
Bringing innovation to clinical trial supply chains
Demands for increasingly complex international clinical trials have led drug developers to collaborate with specialist couriers to manage their clinical trials supply chain.
Often acting as a third party, the courier manages all the study samples, including liaising with the collection/delivery sites, providing validated packaging and transporting the temperature-controlled samples, as well as designing contingency plans throughout.
For this clinical trial, Biocair acted as the third party contracted shipping organization, responsible for the collection, processing, storage, transportation and delivery of human donor samples.
The customer is a global pharmaceutical company, specialized in the research, development and manufacturing of medicines and vaccines.
Customer
Global pharmaceutical company
Challenge
Clinical trial involving 300 participants across EU and non-EU countries
Solution
Complete logistics management using innovative supply chain solutions
Locations
Challenges
With over 300 participants spread across five collection clinics in the EU and Norway, and a varied range of samples, including DNA and plasma, there was a need for a secure, seamless and compliant delivery throughout the clinical trial.
Customs regulations, changing flight plans and the need for cost minimisation
As this clinical trial included EU and non-EU countries, plus a wide range of samples at each collection site, Biocair had to ensure that all regulatory paperwork for customs was documented prior to shipping.
The multi-site study included remote locations, requiring Biocair’s worldwide network to ensure the seamless flow of shipments and information, whilst utilizing the most efficient transport lanes.
Biocair supplies validated and pre-conditioned temperature-controlled packaging for all temperature ranges
Solution
Contingency planning and advanced preparation
Biocair created contingency plans at each phase of transportation, including sourcing replacement packaging and designing secondary flight plans in case of any airline delays.
"As part of our preparation for this clinical trial, we created Standard Operating Procedures tailored to the trial’s requirements and advised each office of the paperwork and packaging requirements.
By ensuring all the preparation was complete, collection and delivery was made in the shortest possible time as factors such as customs clearance were processed and prepared prior to the arrival of the samples at the airports."
Gary Rivers
Operations Support Manager, Biocair Inc
Biocair's experts created tailored Standard Operating Procedures unique to the trial
White glove service
Biocair drivers arrived with validated packaging and placed the samples in the boxes, often directly in-front of the customer, thereby ensuring correct handover of valuable materials.
Often, the drivers were collecting up to eight sets of samples at the same collection site, many having different temperature requirements including dry ice and controlled ambient.
Expert customer support
Biocair fully optimized the clinical trial supply chain and ensured all samples were transferred to and from the collection/delivery sites via the most efficient routes.
Whenever required, local Biocair experts were immediately available to help expedite the import process, all while maintaining the highest levels of compliance standards in the industry.
"The Biocair office I work with has provided terrific service - the staff are helpful and always responsive to my questions and requests.
This trial involved multiple international sites both inside and outside the EU, as well as shipping multiple sample types that had to be sorted at the clinical sites.
The shipments were carried out quickly and without any issues.”
Customer spokesperson
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