Prescription for success

Life-saving treatments languish in customs when a step is missed in the import process. Vaccines have to be discarded because they have not been stored at the right temperature. A new drug can’t be released to market because local quality checks have not been completed.

These and many more problems encountered in the international pharmaceutical supply chain can be avoided with a holistic approach to the complex logistics of handling, storing and delivering medicines to people who need them.

Life or death
The pharmaceutical industry moves over one trillion dollars’ worth of cargo every year, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Upholding the integrity of such shipments is literally a matter of life or death. And it takes the right equipment, facilities, handling, cooperation and attention to detail.

It’s a highly regulated business. Strict legal requirements have to be met at every stage, including World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines as well as regional and national regulations, all whilst avoiding delays in delivery.

Temperature sensors and RFID tags that monitor shipments throughout transit and the use of blockchain to create a tamper-proof record of a product's journey are just two examples.

End-to-end
GAC fully compliant, specialised end-to-end logistics solutions cover customs clearance, regulatory coordination, temperature-controlled storage and secure transportation.

For instance, in Dubai, what started as a small operation in the 1960s is now a comprehensive purpose-built operation recognised as a strategic logistics partner for multinational pharmaceutical brands.

At this location, we offer cold storage (2–8°C) and ambient (15–25°C) warehousing in our dedicated 11,600m² pharmaceutical warehouse with 20,000 pallet positions, supported by sophisticated technology-driven operations, highly trained staff and a dedicated quality and compliance team. We hold ISO 13485:2016 Medical Devices Management System certification, demonstrating our ability to provide quality warehousing, distribution and value-added services for medical devices, as well as the Certificate of Good Pharmaceutical Storage and Distribution Practices for Medical Stores by the Dubai Ministry of Health.

“We are very aware of the importance in both business and human terms of ensuring the integrity of the supply chain for medical products,” says Trevor Stamp – General Manager Contract Logistics. “We have responded by developing a sophisticated set-up that ensures compliance at every stage, and is flexible enough to adapt to changing rules and our customers’ specific needs. That has earned the trust of top pharmaceutical companies and we now handle the import, storage and transportation of an average of 150,000m³ of medicines and related health medical products per year for Dubai, the UAE and the wider Middle East region, as well as for re-export to Asia Pacific.”

Tracking every step
Our Warehouse Management System ensures inventory integrity by tracking every step. Individual product units are given unique serial numbers for complete traceability throughout the supply chain, in compliance with the government’s customised platform.

This enables us to log and monitor both production and expiry dates, automate batch validation, support product recalls and audits, maintain inventory accuracy and compliance, prevent the release of either quarantined, expired, or non-compliant products, and more – all with real-time visibility to customers by interfacing with their systems.

Together, our dedicated Pharmacist and Clearing & Forwarding Managers are responsible for ensuring compliance to regulatory requirements and internal standards through every stage of the process, with a strong focus on security and integrity.

In March this year, our supply chain and compliance teams faced tight timelines, custom regulatory and inspection requirements in the handling of high-value shipments. But they rose to the occasion to deliver urgent clearance and stock release, co-packing and aggregation, Ministry of Health inspections, and coordinated dispatches with strict delivery windows and real-time compliance checks.

Our fully integrated, GDP-compliant logistics solution ensured end-to-end product safety and regulatory compliance, positively impacting the customs clearance timelines and inspection protocols, while additional shifts completed co-packing for timely aggregation and dispatch.

The result? A very satisfied customer who credited GAC’s “unwavering support and dedication” in overcoming these challenges.

Testing times
Our pharmaceutical handling capabilities were also put to the test during the COVID-19 pandemic, when we provided uninterrupted delivery of critical pharmaceutical products despite global supply chain disruptions.

In the Philippines, we were the top customs broker of choice for two leading COVID-19 brands. We cleared through customs and delivered more than 13,000 packs of one of the first oral treatments for the virus to Local Government Units and hospitals throughout the country.

We also took care of the necessary documentation required. When the vaccine became available, we took care of its safe and swift distribution.

“That was quite a challenge in a country made up of an archipelago where not every location had cold chain facilities,” says Managing Director Joseph Casimiro. “To solve that puzzle, we drew on our experience of working with major pharmaceutical brands nearly 30 years in the country to come up with a hybrid of delivery options supported by a network of ‘re-icing stations’ to keep the vaccines viable.”

We also set up additional services such as Onboard Courier deliveries, alternative air freight lanes to triangulate shipments that missed their schedule, and inter-island distribution services.

We continue to support the sector post-pandemic and annually handle more than 1,000 pharmaceutical-related import and export jobs in the Philippines on average. That includes time-critical pharmaceuticals and clinically tested materials handled through our Express Air Release and Express Customs Clearance programmes. Designed for time-critical or urgent shipments, these programmes aim to release air shipments within 24 hours of pick-up of the original shipping documents from the airline, less than half the standard delivery time.

We have also been entrusted with the delivery of materials for medical trials and large medical equipment like x-ray imaging devices or ultrasound systems to hospitals across the country. Such delicate equipment can’t be dismantled and reassembled onsite, so strategic planning and careful handling are essential, including surveys to eliminate the risk of damage en route and ensure the machines can fit through doors and elevators upon arrival.

For more information, go to https://www.gac.com/sectors/healthcare.