Business & Money | Sunday 6 December, 2015 3:34 pm |

According to IMARC Group, the healthcare cold chain logistic services market is expected to hit nearly US$13.4 billion by 2020 and emerging markets such as the Middle East and North Africa are gearing up for rapid expansion and growth in the industry.

 

Temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals such as vaccines, hormones and insulin rely on the integrity of the cold chain in order to render these products effective and safe for the patient and end-users. While great strides have been made in terms of infrastructure, technology and governance; with each advancement come unique challenges making the pharmaceutical cold chain landscape perennially evolving. 

 

The importance of cold chain in healthcare is such that both public and private sectors are collaborating to ensure that all aspects of the cold chain are kept intact and maintain integrity while striving for innovation. In the Middle East, government regulatory authorities have stepped up with new policies and requirements for pharma shipping, distribution and storage. Pharmaceutical companies have invested heavily in research and development, while distribution and logistics companies, along with airlines are continuing to build expansive infrastructure to support the integrity of the entire cold chain. 

 

“This region faces unique challenges with pharma cold chain. High temperature and humidity impact the stability of pharmaceutical products. These challenges compounded with strict regulations that vary from country to country, demand for technology to augment and complement as well as the need to educate and train personnel make it imperative for the regional industry stakeholders to convene and meet to discuss how the region can overcome these challenges”. said Doaa Said, Managing Director, Maarefah Management.

 

With this in mind, it is with great excitement that Maarefah announces the 2016 Middle East Pharma Cold Chain Congress. The region’s foremost event covering temperature-controlled pharmaceutical supply chains and temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals returns to Dubai on March 28 – 31 for unparalleled days of networking, learning, discussions and solutions and will gather more than 100 stakeholders for an unrivalled program designed to address the industry’s most critical issues and challenges in MENA.  The congress will be hosting various presentations from global & regional pharmaceutical and cold chain experts from leading companies such as Pfizer, GSK, Hoffmann La-Roche, Novartis, Dnata Cargo, Jamjoom Pharma and Tamer Group.

 

Co-located with MENA Pharma Excellence Congress, the Middle East Pharma Cold Chain Congress offers a unique opportunity for pharmaceutical and cold chain professionals to share insights across industries. Middle East Pharma Cold Chain Congress starts on March 28 and ends on March 31, 2015. Congress days are on March 30 – 31, 2015. Workshops will run from March 28 -29, 2015.