Clinical trial logistics have seen major changes in recent years. Technological innovations, as well as operational changes such as the increasing popularity of decentralised clinical trials (DCTs) have seen the field have to adapt to this changing environment. The pandemic and other geopolitical factors have also had a large impact, amid changing regional challenges and turbulence in the air freight market.
Pandemic Impacts
To understand clinical logistics in recent years, it is best to start with the pandemic. Due to the global nature of clinical trials, many shipments are international and require shipments by air. Air freight was hugely affected, with staff having to stay home and flights grounded. However, items such as personal protective equipment (PPE) and vaccinations were moving, so clinical logistics businesses continued to operate albeit limited due to patients not being able to travel and stay at home.
However, the sector-wide lull created by the pandemic allowed air freight businesses to review their operations and find ways of increasing efficiency. As the pandemic began to subside, many airlines changed their schedules and reduced the number of flights, meaning logistic operators have had to adapt to a decrease in the availability of flights.
Post-pandemic, there has also been a period of high inflation driven by energy and fuel prices, increasing rates across the freight industry. Twinned with the decrease in capacity, prices have risen across the industry.
The clinical logistics industry has adapted to this in a number of ways. Clinical trial shipments are usually shipped to order on demand, but increasingly, clinical logistics is moving to a mixed model that requires establishing depots or warehouses within countries where medicines are stored, for final mile distribution as well as shipping on demand from the global central depot storage site. This is done to increase the resilience of the supply chain and reduce costs. However, new modes of clinical trials require a move in the other direction, with increased flexibility in where medicines are to be delivered. Getting the right balance is very important, with collaboration between CROs and clinical trial logistics companies essential. Clinical trial logistics companies need to understand the requirements and goals of sponsors and CROs so they can adapt their infrastructure and operations to fit their needs.
Medicines requiring specific conditions during transit, such as temperature-controlled medicines which must often remain at low temperatures throughout the supply chain, require effective partnerships with all stakeholders. The requirements need to be fully understood by the freight handler so specialists can be in the right place at the right time to properly handle the product, so effective communication, collaboration and relationship building is paramount to build a high-performing supply chain. This can also include information and data sharing, so the supply chain can continue to improve over time.