Distribution logistics problems of immunobiological drugs in the pandemic era

Abstract

In the context of the global pandemic of the coronavirus COVID-19, issues related to the logistics of distribution of vaccines against coronavirus have become very urgent. First of all, this concerns the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, which requires maintaining extremely low temperatures during storage and transportation. There are a number of obstacles to the implementation of supply chains for the distribution of vaccines that can seriously reduce the availability of vaccines, even for developed countries. First of all, they are associated with the fact that the transportation and storage of immunobiological preparations require the creation of an expensive cooling infrastructure. The main requirements for the supply chains of vaccine distribution and successful examples of world practice in their implementation are analyzed. It has been established that conventional refrigerated trucks are not suitable for low-temperature vaccine delivery without thermal containers, and the number of refrigerators in which cargo spaces would be cooled to temperatures below minus 20C is measured in units. Therefore, the optimal way of low-temperature road transportation of vaccines is to transport them in special thermal containers, which need to be loaded into refrigerators for greater reliability of transportation. There is a prospect of some softening of the requirements of regulatory bodies for the temperature regimes of transportation and storage of vaccines as data on the stability of immunobiological preparations accumulate. This can significantly reduce the pressure on transport organizations, whose tasks include the mandatory use of heavy-duty freezers, as well as special thermal containers. It is proposed to pay attention to stimulating the development and manufacture of thermoboxes in Ukraine, capable of providing low-temperature transportation and storage of immunobiological preparations in the supply chains of distribution of vaccines against COVID-19. It is also advisable to create a network of low-temperature storages in the country, which should become regional distribution centers for immunobiological preparations.