va-Q-tec, a provider of products and solutions in the field of thermal insulation, and Sartorius, an international supplier of technologies for the life sciences, entered into a partnership to optimize logistics for shipping bulk drug substances (BDS).

BDS are extremely temperature-sensitive and high-value goods and the partnership aims to increase efficiency and safety for BDS transportation throughout the industry. It comes after years of teamwork between Sartorius and va-Q-tec, leveraging the companies’ established position and respective expertise in the field.

Through the partnership, Sartorius’ new Celsius single-use solutions for BDS management and va-Q-tec’s high-performing thermal insulated advanced passive containers (va-Q-tainers) are combined. This solution will provide the biopharmaceutical industry with a complete joint platform for the protection of hundred liters of frozen BDS shipments from outside temperatures, as well as mechanical and thermal stresses.

The solution features advanced insulation and phase change material, removing the need to use hazardous dry ice. Thousands of va-Q-tainers are in operation worldwide through an international network of service centers that maintain and prepare each unit for the next shipment after deployment. Combined with Sartorius’ global supply chain, this network will make solutions and services easily accessible to customers worldwide. By avoiding overseas return trips between shipments, the network will also help streamline BDS transportation.

“High-quality products and processes in the pharmaceutical industry require the dedicated development work of proven experts, especially in the API logistics segment,” said Joachim Kuhn, CEO and founder of va-Q-tec. “We have gained a proven partner in Sartorius, with whom we will jointly set a targeted course to optimize transports and establish excellent processes as the standard.”

Eva Lindskog, head of BA Fluid Management Technologies at Sartorius said: “An increasing amount of frozen bulk drug substance is being transported worldwide. This drives the need for more reliable and sustainable cold chain solutions. By leveraging our collaboration with va-Q-tec, Sartorius can now offer an integrated high-performance bulk drug substance transportation platform, for the benefit of customers globally.”