Investigation and Development of Cell & Gene Therapies Continues to Grow Globally

Despite the challenges that COVID-19 presented to the healthcare industry, the global pandemic did not slow progress in research and clinical development of gene and cell therapies, according to the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine’s 2020 Annual Report. By the end of 2020, there were 1,220 clinical trials for regenerative medicine and advanced cell and gene therapy – more than half of which were in phase 2 trials. Financing in 2020 was also up, by 73% for gene therapy and an incredible 160% for cell therapy.

While healthcare and life science logistics is complex for all types of medical shipments –immunotherapies have special challenges and logistics must be synchronized throughout the supply chain to ensure product integrity, patient safety and successful outcomes. That’s because cell and gene therapy treatments are different for each patient and require individual handling and precise timing. As a result, they are also high in value, extremely time and temperature-sensitive and require specialized handling, packaging and proper storage.

This ongoing expansion in the market is one of the reasons QuickSTAT has been investing in an aggressive growth strategy, with plans to add 11 warehouse and conditioning facilities throughout APAC and Europe in 2021 to increase capacity and better meet the global needs of its customers. This includes doubling the size of its warehouse and conditioning facility in Belfast and a new state-of-the-art JFK Control Tower, which will add to QuickSTAT’s conditioning capacity to support the company’s Chicago Cell & Gene Therapy and Miami Direct-to-Patient Centers of Excellence.

QuickSTAT Strengthens its Presence in Asia

With a compound annual growth rate that currently exceeds 40%, the cell and gene therapy market in Asia is outpacing the rest of the world. To accommodate this growth, QuickSTAT has opened a new Control Tower and Conditioning Facility, housed within Kuehne + Nagel’s existing Singapore facility. The Control Tower is also a Center of Excellence for Direct-to-Patient and cell and gene therapy supply chains, and is strategically located to provide 24/7 logistics support for pharma and biotech companies across APAC.

Equipped with a controlled-ambient warehouse, the new QuickSTAT office will provide transportation and logistics services as well as in-transit storage for vaccines and investigational drugs, patient clinical specimens and API. The facility is ISO certified, GxP and GDP compliant and follows best practices for storage, conditioning, transportation, routing and logistics. Like all QuickSTAT facilities, the Singapore location will use the company’s VIP Inventory Management system, an end-to-end solution for managing, conditioning, transporting, tracking, returning and recycling inventory. The Control Tower is managed and staffed by QuickSTAT logistics specialists who provide customized solutions for each client’s specific needs, including specially designed processes, pre-planned routes and packaging procurement, conditioning and placement as well as guidance on regulatory compliance and temperature monitoring devices. This is combined with stringent quality control processes and leading technology tools – all of which will help customers manage their supply chains more effectively.

This investment is part of a larger pharma healthcare strategy to provide seamless, end-to-end logistics solutions that add value to QuickSTAT and KN PharmaChain customers in Asia Pacific. The ISO-certified and GxP compliant facility that upholds the best practices for storage, conditioning, transportation, routings and logistics is just one more way QuickSTAT is delivering product integrity and patient safety.