DHL has developed a pioneering new temperature-sensing technology to improve the control of drugsshipments for the pharmaceutical industry.
Radio frequency identification (RFID) sensor tags control and document the exact temperatureof items throughout the delivery chain, says DHL, so that manufacturers, recipient health servicesand inspectors can check the condition of the products at any time during transport.
Fluctuations in temperature outside recommended ranges can have negative effects on the lifespan, and acceptability to authorities, of medicines such as vaccines.
The new sensor tag is a combination of temperature sensor and RFID radio chip, said DHL. Itpermits continuous monitoring and recording of a pre-defined temperature range as well as read-outof the data at any time, without having to open the shipment.
Thanks to the sensor’s special design, it can be attached especially close to the product,not just on the inside of the packaging as before. In addition, the current life span of theproduct can be calculated and read out at any time. This was previously possible only at the end ofa transport.
“The RFID sensor tag enables us to offer a new, sustainable perspective, not only for thepharmaceutical industry but for all industries looking for a solution to the sensitive logisticaltask of temperature-controlled transports,” said Dr Keith Ulrich, head of technology and innovationmanagement at Deutsche Post World Net, DHL’s parent company.
DHL developed the sensor tag together with IBM and the pharmaceutical industry. The RFIDsensor tag was initially tested by a pharmaceutical customer and recently successfully put intooperation for the first time in the overseas transport of diagnostic material and vaccines.
