Supply chain delays expected as Juno hits Northeast US

By Dan Stanton

- Last updated on GMT

Pharma and clinical trials firms prepped for severe weather as New York wakes up to Winter Storm Juno this morning
Pharma and clinical trials firms prepped for severe weather as New York wakes up to Winter Storm Juno this morning

Related tags Pharmacology Clinical trial Pharmaceutical industry

US Pharma firms are prepared for delays in the supply chain caused by Winter Storm Juno thanks to advanced planning and backup generators, says a logistics expert.

Though New York residents woke up this morning to find a regular six inch dusting of snow rather than the historic 12 to 18 inches predicted​ by meteorologists, surrounding regions in the Northeast have been battered by Winter Storm Juno with roads blocked and over 7,500 flights cancelled​.

Such severe weather conditions can hamper distribution efforts of both pharmaceutical products and clinical trial materials, disrupting the supply chain and jeopardising temperature sensitive drugs.

But according to Cathy Roberson, a Senior Analyst at research firm Transport Intelligence, the pharmaceutical industry – like the city of New York itself​ – was prepared for the worst.

“The storm had been forecasted for several days so logistics providers, hospitals, transportation providers have prepared in advanced,” she told Outsourcing-Pharma.com. Furthermore, “in terms of keeping goods at a proper temperature there’s usually back-up generators just in case power is lost.”

Clinical trial logistics

Her views were supported by clinical trial logistics firm World Courier, with spokesperson Sue Lee telling us its customers had been braced “for delays in the supply chain for the most part, with stock in place to cover short time periods.”

While airports, roads and customers from New Jersey to Massachusetts and beyond are still closed, Lee said World Courier remains operational.

“Some shipments will be delayed because of the very high number of cancelled flights, but we are maintaining temperature control for shipments in our possession. Other shipments are being held at origin, pending resumption of flights into and out of the northeast US. We are keeping customers updated as the status and situation changes.”

Fellow clinical trials logistics solution firm Marken described to us how it had a continuity plan in place for Juno:

“Marken evaluated the various routes and best contingency options for our client’s shipments,”​ said spokesperson Christine Noble. “Advance planning for a CLO [Clinical Logistics Organization] has to include evaluating the stability of the product involved, the packaging, airport capabilities, routing options, and storage availability in case of closure of client offices.”

She added temperature sensitive drugs or shipments which cannot be delivered are stored in Marken’s warehouse – protected against power loss - until clients can resume accepting deliveries.

According to Marken’s website, the firm is continuing to reroute Northeast US shipments through alternative airports to minimise delays, despite improving conditions Wednesday morning.

Related news

Related products

show more

The Right CDMO Can Unlock Faster Drug Development

The Right CDMO Can Unlock Faster Drug Development

Content provided by Lonza Small Molecules | 15-May-2023 | Interview

Drug development presents biotech companies with ever-changing challenges. Enabling a faster end-to-end process requires seamless flexibility and extensive...

SDTM supplemental qualifiers explained

SDTM supplemental qualifiers explained

Content provided by Formedix | 12-May-2023 | White Paper

What are SDTM supplemental qualifiers? In short, these are variables in non-CDISC datasets that cannot be mapped to a variable that matches the SDTM standard....

Plan for success with process liquid and buffer preparation

Plan for success with process liquid and buffer preparation

Content provided by Thermo Fisher Scientific - Process Liquid Preparation Services | 25-Apr-2023 | White Paper

Setting the groundwork for successful scale-up is essential for getting a therapeutic to market quickly and efficiently, but navigating the unknowns associated...

Related suppliers

Follow us

Products

View more

Webinars