International. Thermo King announced that it has expanded its portfolio of temporary storage solutions that can meet the requirements of global pharmaceutical companies developing COVID-19 vaccines.
Pharmaceutical companies in late-stage clinical trials anticipate that they will require strict temperature controls to safeguard their products, down to temperatures as low as -70 degrees Celsius.
According to the World Health Organization, nearly 20 percent of temperature-sensitive health care products are damaged during transportation and 25 percent of vaccines arrive at their destination in a degraded state due to breaks in the cold chain.
"Given the urgent global need for a COVID-19 vaccine, the world cannot afford cold chain disruptions," said Dave Regnery, president and chief operating officer of Trane Technologies. "Our new cold storage solutions can maintain temperatures of -70 degrees Celsius for an extended period of time, can be harnessed to help reduce the degradation of a vaccine, and most importantly, could prevent 'deserts' or lack of vaccine accessibility."
Thermo King and its partners around the world can offer temporary storage solutions that maintain a set point below -70 degrees Celsius and can ensure end-to-end temperature control, safety and traceability using state-of-the-art telematics. Additional storage solutions include refrigerated trailers, containers, and portable buckets that can be easily scaled and repositioned to other locations as demand changes.
In addition to launching cold storage solutions, Thermo King has helped customers identify ways to maximize the range of dry ice, which is often used in the transportation and storage of vaccines but has certain limitations. A container that uses dry ice to keep a product frozen may require refrilizing it if it remains for an extended period or if it is exposed to extreme weather conditions. Thermo King offers storage solutions that can substantially prolong the life of dry ice or eliminate the need altogether.
"We've been engaging pharmaceutical and transportation companies, lawmakers, regulators and other industry partners to discuss ways to strengthen the cold chain," Regnery said. "We know we can help mitigate risk – we have a long history of cold chain expertise and are actively working to innovate and address the complexities and potential challenges of mass distribution of a temperature-sensitive vaccine."
