Temperature Controlled Storage for Pharmaceuticals and Biomedical Products

Today’s medical needs include safe methods of storage for items such as blood and various tissue samples for testing purposes. These must be handled antiseptically as well as stored at specific temperatures. They cannot simply be stored in a typical residential freezer or refrigerator. No matter the sample, it most likely needs to be stored in a controlled environment and saved for some future purpose. The medical refrigeration equipment needs to be securely locked to prevent any malicious contamination or theft.

Prevent inactive vaccines, harmful safety issues and inaccurate clinical trial results! Laboratories, Hospitals and Clinical Research Organizations need and use temperature controlled storage to maintain integrity of their research and materials.

There are biological standards by which all such materials must be handled and stored in order to assure the safety and the quality of any medical related materials. The correct climate controlled containers for storing vaccines are absolutely vital. Samples stored improperly may lead to the vaccines becoming useless. People cannot be vaccinated and money is wasted. Good practices, policies, procedures and climate controlled containers are needed to ensure that vaccines are stored at the correct temperature.

For controlled purposes there are various classifications of storage. They are generally classified by temperature and/or humidity within a secure controlled environment:

• Preventative conservation storage insures dust free, temperature controlled; secure storage for items ranging from collectibles to medical tissue samples and blood.
• Stability storage may include walk in size storage containers such as freezers and refrigerated areas that require temperature control. They offer long term storage of items such as blood plasma and body tissue, pharmaceutical supplies or quarantined materials.
• Moderate or ambient temperature storage generally has moderate temperature control in the range of sixty degrees centigrade down to negative two degrees centigrade. Many pharmaceutical items, solvents, dry materials, nasal sprays, tablets and capsules will store well at this medical refrigeration grade temperature.
• Low temp storage from negative two degrees centigrade down to around negative sixty degrees centigrade considered ideal for food products such as meat, nitrate film, toxins, and pharmaceuticals. Humidity can be controlled variably.

Portable storage units are secure and can be locked assuring that the temperature remains at the designated controlled level. They will store and preserve substances critical to human life for long periods of time.

Drug products must be shipped and stored in a manner that does not risk exposure to temperatures outside of their recommended storage conditions; potentially impacting the safety and effectiveness of the drug product. Environmental controls play a key role in maintaining drug quality. Temperature is one of the most important parameters to control.

WAREHOUSING AND STORAGE

All drugs should be stored according to conditions described on the label. When specified on the label, controls for humidity, light, etc. should be in place. Refrigerated containers used to store drugs should:

• be well maintained

• be equipped with alarms

• be free from frost buildup

The transport process and containers should prevent damage and maintain the integrity and quality of the drug products. For example, ampoules exposed to physical stress could develop hairline cracks. Within a transportation container, the packaging configuration which provides the primary means of environmental control for the drug product should ensure that the drug product remains within the acceptable temperature range.

When investing in climate controlled containers to store your medical supplies vaccinations or pharmaceuticals, it is highly advisable to work with a company that is experienced and knowledgeable in providing refrigerated storage equipment suited for the pharmaceutical industry.