DHL Express launches express Mexico-U.S. flights for pharma

DHL Express has launched multiple expedited Mexico-U.S. flights – serving Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey to “most U.S. destinations” – addressing a demand for transportation of pharmaceuticals and biomedical shipments to Central and South America.

The logistics giant’s DHL Worldwide Medical Express (WMX) service, launched in 2014, offers dry ice supplies and temperature-controlled packaging fulfillment services via its web-based interface. Its network includes Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama and Peru, and will soon expand into Brazil.

Brian Bralynski, sector head of life sciences for DHL Americas, said customs are a difficult hurdle for logistics players, especially those dealing in pharma. “Given the complexity of export processes and Ministry of Health approvals in Mexico and several other Latin American countries, having an integrated system enables DHL to begin the export approval process ahead of samples arriving at our facilities,” he said.

Demand for pharma in South America is heating up, with logistics members across the board investing in facilities and infrastructure for the handling of the temperature-sensitive cargo. Patrick Fehring, director of aero business at Rio Galeão Airport, a major aviation hub in Brazil, told Air Cargo World the airport has expanded its infrastructure for the handling of pharma cargo in recent years.

“We the have CEIV-Pharma certification, [which] we obtained three years ago,” he said. “I would probably say that if you look at our infrastructure for handling pharmaceuticals, it’s right up there with some of the top cargo airports in the world.” He added that the investment “definitely drove real improvement in infrastructure, and definitely in cargo infrastructure.”