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As clinical trials continue to verify the efficacy and safety of coronavirus vaccines, pharmaceutical companies involved in their development and health authorities are making plans not only to distribute millions of doses in a short time, but also to protect themselves from a Not negligible risk: theft.
Although it will be a few months before we know if the vaccines developed so far are effective, pharmaceutical and biotech companies have already started producing doses, so they are ready to distribute them if their tests are successful. They face an unprecedented logistical challenge on which the lives of millions of people could depend.
the Wall street journal compiled information from Pfizer and Moderna, committed to developing vaccines considered among the most promising, and described how pharmaceutical and logistics companies in the United States are organizing to reduce the risk of theft and fraud. The topic will also cover Europe, where there has been a marked increase in new positives in recent weeks, and several other areas of the world.
Protection against crime is nothing new for vaccine manufacturers, who are often in a position to ensure the safety of shipments of their expensive products. For the coronavirus vaccine, they will use a system that has been in use for a long time: circulating trucks recognizable by their brands, but that do not actually carry vaccines, along with those that do contain the doses to distribute to clinics and hospitals. It is a solution adopted in other sectors as well and, together with others, helps reduce the risk of being robbed.
Pfizer will also use a GPS system to track your shipments in real time, to detect any unexpected courier diversions, which could indicate a hijacking for theft. For the pharmaceutical company, this form of control will be essential because their vaccine, unlike those other companies are experimenting with, must be kept at temperatures as low as -70 ° C. The company has manufactured special containers to keep doses at temperatures as low as -70 ° C. low, but you will have to manage deliveries very carefully to ensure that the cold chain is not broken to the detriment of the vaccine’s effectiveness.
UPS, one of the largest freight forwarders in the world, has announced that it will use its own tracking system to verify that packages with doses reach the required destination, without illegal intervention. Other logistics companies have announced similar initiatives, although there are doubts about the system’s ability to adapt to deliver tens of millions of doses, and not just in the United States.
The United States government has planned that the deliveries be made with the escort of federal agents, to act as a deterrent and directly manage a possible theft. Pending approval and distribution, the vaccines already produced are kept secret in some warehouses. The goal is to be able to use them as soon as possible, although the researchers believe that it will be at least two months before they have reliable data on the possible efficacy of the experimental vaccines developed so far.
Logistics and security experts report that the supply chain may have some weaknesses. Manufacturers often deliver batches to distribution centers, which in turn break them down into smaller batches for delivery to hospitals and clinics. The last phase of deployment does not always have adequate security systems and in the case of an initially scarce resource, such as a highly anticipated and in-demand vaccine, problems could arise.
Hospital directors consulted in the United States since WSJ They explained that they are focused at this stage on orders for sufficient doses, and on the installation of freezers capable of reaching the temperatures necessary for their conservation, especially in the case of the Pfizer vaccine. Otherwise, they will follow established procedures to ensure that their pharmacies are protected, reducing the risk of possible theft.
Pharmaceutical safety professionals report that the risk will be greatest in the first few months after approval by the health authority, when doses will be relatively low compared to the high demand. Illicit activities and robberies could be organized not only by individuals or organized crime, but also by some governments more difficult than others to gain access to doses.
According to the Institute of Pharmaceutical Security, a trade association, phenomena related to theft and counterfeiting of pharmaceutical products have increased by 70 percent in the last five years. During a pandemic, which involves higher than usual expenses and investments in the sector, phenomena of this type tend to occur more frequently to the detriment not only of pharmaceutical companies, but also of their customers and the community.
There are about 50 experimental vaccines undergoing clinical testing around the world, while at least 90 others are in development through laboratory and animal testing. To date, 11 vaccines have passed phases 1 and 2, mostly dedicated to verifying the safety of volunteers who take them, and are in phase 3, the last of the large-scale tests. Among the solutions seen as most promising are vaccines from Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. Other late-stage vaccines are being tested in China and Russia, but questions remain about their safety and efficacy.
The first approvals from drug regulators could be issued later this year, but researchers and experts believe that a vaccine will not be available to most of the population before next spring. It is also not known to date whether these vaccines are capable of inducing long-term immune memory, a detail that could affect their ability to reduce the spread of the pandemic.
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