Marken, a wholly owned subsidiary of UPS, has expanded its cryogenic (liquid nitrogen) service locations to facilitate global cell & gene therapy trials. Its expanded network now includes facilities in Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Frankfurt, Singapore and Tokyo. Johannesburg will be added later in 2018 to complete the global network.
The combination of its expanded locations and packaging fleet allows Marken to meet client demands in a rapidly growing industry.
Ultra-low temperature transportation has become an increasingly important supply chain requirement for cell, gene or immunotherapy-based medicines. The process of extracting human cells and transporting them across national borders under strict time and temperature requirements poses significant challenges for the logistics industry. Materials derived from patient samples are usually bio-hazardous, have a short shelf life and must reach the manufacturing site within 28 to 48 hours of the patient visit. Regulators also require “chain of identity” assurance that each patient has received his or her own individualized medicine.
Marken’s expanded cryogenic network of liquid nitrogen filling locations and specialized fleet of packaging will allow its clients to recruit and treat patients from a greater number of nations worldwide.
The global gene therapy market is projected to grow to $363 million by 2022. An estimated 2,200 clinical trials are expected to drive this growth and will focus on oncology, rare diseases, Parkinson’s, HIV, severe combined immuno-deficiencies (SCID) and hemophilia. Most of these trials are projected to take place in the United States, Europe, Canada and China.
Dedicated to the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries, Marken offers a state-of-the-art GMP-compliant depot network and logistic hubs in 48 locations worldwide for clinical trial material storage and distribution. More than 860 staff members manage 50,000 drug and biological shipments every month at all temperature ranges in more than 150 nations.
See www.marken.com to learn more.
