SPOTLIGHT ON: °Connex GEO Pre-Qualified Thermal Packaging

For a pharmaceutical producer or manufacturer, choosing the best pre-qualified thermal packaging for distributing your vaccines, medicines or other temperature-sensitive products is usually determined by shipping duration. So, increased shipping time often means upgrading the insulation material, cooling components, or both. The result is a compromise solution. With higher costs and often over-engineered thermal packaging that far exceeds the ambient climate requirements.

But a new concept is now challenging this standard way of selecting thermal packaging; one that gives pharmaceutical and 3PL companies a far wider choice of pre-qualified solutions compared to ranges based on shipping duration alone.

Connex GEO is the new range of pre-qualified thermal packaging solutions from Topa Thermal and applies a novel approach of ‘geo zone levels’ when choosing your pharmaceutical thermal packaging.

So, what is a Topa Thermal ‘GEO Zone’? And why do we need it?

The concept of Topa Thermal’s GEO zone is simple. It looks at the shipping duration but, in addition, combines this with the thermal challenge or temperature spikes a pharmaceutical product payload is likely to face.

“By applying the GEO zone principle to the way thermal packaging products are selected, gives the widest possible choice of pre-qualified thermal packaging available. All our °Connex GEO solutions are pre-qualified from 24 hours up to 120 hours – so shipping duration is not the limiting factor,” explains Richard Harrop, Product Director at Topa Thermal. “You can therefore choose the right solution for your distribution challenge, without the compromise of duration determining packaging complexity. Simply put, you’re not paying the cost of other companies’ challenges,” he continues.

What is your GEO Zone?

Topa Thermal have identified three different GEO zone levels – I, II and III.

GEO zone I, for low-risk, well understood distribution channels, with a realistic thermal challenge and temperature spikes between +35°C and -5°C.

“GEO zone I is a great option for national shipping of pharmaceutical products or for shipping regionally or nationally and can be well suited to low-risk distribution channels.”

GEO zone II, if you’re not quite sure what to expect or need to mitigate against some temperature unpredictability. A Connex GEO system qualified to GEO zone II gives greater temperature protection than Geo zone I.

“GEO zone II is the perfect all-round solution and suits national and international payload distribution scenarios, meaning you can ship confidently at higher risk temperatures.”

Finally, Geo zone III is for extreme environments. It has the highest level of hot and cold spike protection (up to 45°C and down to -10°C) and a Connex GEO system qualified to GEO zone III is heavily designed to mitigate risk in scenarios such unpredictable logistical delays and the cross-hemisphere distribution of biopharma products, resulting in both hot and cold product exposures.

“For high value clinical trial distribution, for example, if you need to plan for the unexpected, with GEO zone III you can be confident your payload will reach its destination with the highest level of protection.”