The global pharmaceutical market is growing exponentially. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that it is currently worth US$300bn and this figure is expected to rise to $400bn within just three years. Pricewaterhouse-Coopers says this could reach nearly $1.6 trillion by 2020, as a result of the rapidly rising demand for medicines in emerging markets, primarily China, Brazil, India and Russia (source: IMS Retail Drug Monitor 2013). In addition, companies are increasingly outsourcing drug manufacture throughout the development stage, including clinical trials. These factors all point to greatly increased transportation of potentially hazardous pharmaceutical and biotech products around the world, requiring complex logistics.
Companies investing millions in the development of biologics cannot afford to jeopardise their investment through shipping delays. Import licensing and other entry requirements of non-Western countries call for specialist knowledge, and biotechs in particular require a temperature-controlled supply chain, supported by labelling that meets the relevant legislation. Chemical classification that highlights the intrinsic hazard of a substance is fundamental to its safe management, handling and use.
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