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The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the world’s health system and organization. To control and prevent this virus and others of its kind, vaccination has been adopted as an effective way to protect public health.
Vaccines are chemical and biological products, which means they are sensitive to both cold and heat and must be kept in cold storage throughout the vast cold chain. The vaccine cold chain is designed to ensure vaccines remain safe and effective from the manufacturer to the point of administration.
The Perfect Conditions
With the aid of the cold chain, the environmental storage and handling conditions required by a pharmaceutical manufacturer can be ascertained. Typically, the vaccine cold chain offers a temperature range of 2°C (35°F) to 8°C (45°F) with the ability to go as low as -25°C (-13°F). Continuous temperature monitoring throughout the cold chain not only validates that the product is safe for use, but it is also required by the CDC and other government agencies.
Preserving Vaccine Stability
Disruptions and fluctuations in temperature, particularly during transit, can greatly impact the intended potency of the vaccine. According to the CDC, loss in potency can result in poor protection against disease, the revaccination of patients, and thousands of dollars in wasted vaccine.
Prevent Vaccine Loss
Recent research has shown that more than 50% of vaccines are wasted across the world annually. A lot of factors have been said to be responsible for this including irregularities in temperature control, and problems relating to shipment and logistics. According to IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science, the biopharma industry loses approximately $35 billion a year due to failures in temperature-controlled logistics.
Final Thoughts
Continuous temperature monitoring is not only necessary for validating proper environmental conditions but is mandatory to guarantee the safety and efficiency of vaccines. The CDC requires that every vaccine storage unit must have a Temperature Monitoring Device (TMD) or Digital Data Logger (DDL).
MadgeTech specializes in data logging solutions designed specifically for vaccines and strict industry standards. Maintaining proper conditions and validation reports is easy with the VFC2000 and VTMS vaccine temperature monitoring systems.
To learn more about vaccine best practices download our free white paper, Maintaining Vaccines at Optimum Temperatures. For more information on data logging solutions for your vaccine management plan, call us at (603) 456-2011 or email [email protected]
