Consultant’s Insight: Personalized medicine requires personalized supply chains

The growth in cellular and gene therapy products is prompting the need for specialized transportation and logistics services. [caption id="attachment_76185" align="alignright" width="298"] Cathy Roberson, Cargo Facts Consulting senior consultant and Air Cargo Next columnist[/caption] The National Cancer Institute defines gene therapy as: “a n experimental treatment that adds a new gene or replaces or repairs a mutated (changed) gene inside the body’s cells to help prevent or treat certain diseases, such as cancer. ” Cellular and gene therapy (CGT) companies represented only 1% of global sales in 2022, according to Evaluate Pharma , a pharmaceutical news and market research firm. However, by 2028, Evaluate Pharma expects CGTs to achieve a 46% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in sales compared to non-CGT biologics’ forecasted sales of 5% CAGR from 2022 to 2028. Because these therapies are personalized to individual patients, supply chains are more complex than average pharmaceutical supply chains. The consulting firm Deloitte identified five complexities of CGT supply chains: Time and temperature sensitivity; Closed-loop supply chains; Low volume, high value; Made to order; and Chain of identity and custody, and end-to-end visibility. Marken , a UPS company, and DHL are among the few carriers and logistics providers offering services to this pharmaceutical sector . “When Marken UPS launched in 2014, we believed we could manage the logistics of cell and gene therapies using our best operational people, project leaders, etc.,” Marken President Ariette van Strien wrote for “Cell & Gene,” a CGT publication. “But we discovered that strategy was unsustainable; we needed to build an independent network of experts within our network.” Indeed, a more specialized approach is necessary. As such, AIT Worldwide Logistics recently announced the formation of its Critical Solutions Group, which focuses only on CGT and biologics businesses, unlike other supply chain providers such as Marken and DHL, which focus on the entirety of pharmaceuticals and health care. “The Critical Solutions Group collaborates with customers to develop individualized, stringent shipment plans for life-saving therapies, including cell and gene therapies, autologous vaccines, CAR T-cell and TCR therapies, and patient samples,” AIT stated in a July 20 release. CGT and biologics companies “typically bring us in early into the transportation planning as consultants,” AIT Commercial Liaison Manager Martin Flanagan told Air Cargo Next . “AIT flushes out all the risk [such as transportation type] based on the need.” Depending on timing and other factors, it could be a matter of chartering a plane versus using a commercial airplane or a van, he explained. As noted by Deloitte, visibility is vital to track items and consistently monitor temperature and other environmental measures while in transit. AIT and other supply chain providers offer services such as 24/7/365 customer care, smart asset data tracking, temperature-controlled packaging and monitoring. In the case of AIT, Dave Murphy , vice president of AIT’s Critical Solutions Group, told Air Cargo Next that the tracking and monitoring links to a back-end transportation management system that AIT and its customers use as well. Flanagan added that while technology is a must, “it’s nothing without the people.” Join Air Cargo Next for the second annual Air Cargo Tech Summit on Monday, Sept. 18, and Tuesday, Sept. 19, at the Brussels Marriott Hotel Grand Place in Belgium. For more information on the summit and to register, click here .

Consultant’s Insight: Personalized medicine requires personalized supply chains

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