UPS: New container targets pharmaceuticals

   UPS said Wednesday it will offer an air freight container for healthcare products, such as pharmaceuticals, vaccines and biologics, with temperature-sensitive requirements.
   The PharmaPort 360 container, which will be manufactured by Cool Containers, will provide near real-time monitoring and maintain product temperatures in extreme outside conditions.
   UPS said it will maintain strict temperatures by using both heating and cooling storage technology, allowing it to tolerate a significantly wider range of extreme ambient temperature changes. The container maintains temperatures critical for protecting medicines that need to stay within the required 2-8°C to prevent spoilage, the company said.
   The container also keeps its protective temperature range for more than 100 hours, which UPS said was an important factor as more supply chains extend globally and healthcare products need to travel farther to reach markets.
   It said the temperature control and monitoring systems are powered by an AC rechargeable battery, ending the need for dry ice, thus eliminating the associated handling fees and hazardous materials charges. UPS said the container will hold critical 2-8°C temperatures 38 percent longer than current dry ice container services.