The steady increase in the number of heat sensitive healthcare products observed over the past few years provides pharmacists with a perfect opportunity to enhance their role as health professionals. In order to assist them, the Société Française des Sciences et Techniques Pharmaceutiques (SFSTP) and the Association Française du Froid (AFF) have formed a committee composed of players who are directly involved in the quality process (pharmacists, hospital staff, wholesalers, distributors, manufacturers and testing, inspection or certification agencies). The work of the committee has culminated in a document evaluating the cold chain to the pharmacy.

What is a heat sensitive product?

A product is deemed to be heat sensitive if it has to be stored within a specific temperature range in order to maintain all its properties until it reaches its expiry date.

Healthcare Products:

Outside their refrigerated environment, the properties of vaccines and sensitive treatments become degraded. At best, this may render them ineffective while, at worst, it may adversely affect the health of their end user. It is therefore absolutely essential to ensure that they are stored at the temperatures specified on the box and defined by the Marketing Authorisations in order to guarantee the therapeutic efficacy of the treatment.

The 3 most common temperature ranges:

• +15/25°C => Products defined as 'Ambient'
• +2°/8°C => Products defined as 'fresh'
• <-18°C => Produits defined as 'Frozen'

In the food processing industry:

Maintaining refrigerated food at a low temperature ensures that, on the one hand, the growth of micro-organisms is slowed down, thus limiting the occurrence of toxic food infections and, on the other hand, the nutritional properties of the food are retained.

The effectiveness of the cold chain is dependent not only upon the refrigeration temperature but also upon ensuring that this temperature is maintained at a uniform level.

The 2 most common temperature ranges are:

• 0/+4°C => Products defined as 'fresh'
• <-15°C => Products defined as 'Frozen' "

Refrigerated transport and insulated transport

coldshop.com gives you the opportunity to transport your heat-sensitive products without disrupting the cold chain.
The cold chain is the series of resources used to maintain a product at a temperature which is as close as possible to its original temperature while it is in transit and until it arrives at its final destination.

Judicious combination of these 2 features, the insulation barrier and the cold source, constitutes the temperature controlled packaging.

Dispatching fresh or frozen products requires special preparation in order to optimise the period of refrigerated conservation.

The importance of the cold chain and its respect is characterised by proper preparation:

• compliance with the refrigeration/freezing guidelines (according to requirements and temperature range) for the eutectic gel packs,
• compliance with the positioning of products,
• maintaining the integrity of the insulation barrier.

Therefore, in order to make the best use of the items, prepare your consignment while rigorously following the stages indicated below:

• As soon as you receive the temperature controlled packaging, familiarise yourself with the conditions for preparing the box and, in particular, the eutectic plates. The guarantee that your products will be maintained at the correct temperature is basically dependent on the proper preparation of these eutectic plates. It is therefore essential to read the preparation instructions supplied with the packaging; alternatively, they can be viewed on this website.
• If you are required to dispatch a heat sensitive product, choose a logistics operator who is equipped for refrigerated transport.
• When the necessary freezing time has elapsed, you can fill in the insulated or cooling box in accordance with the instructions for use enclosed inside the insulated or temperature-controlled packaging.

Make sure that every space is occupied by your products and the gel packs; if necessary, use newspaper or bubble wrap to fill any empty spaces.

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