PAREXEL develops cold-chain data system

Global contract researcher PAREXEL has stepped into the cold chain business. The company has unveiled an integrated study-drug transport system for temperature monitoring based on radio-frequency identification technology.

The system is part of the company's clinical logistics service offering and PAREXEL says it shaves a day off the time required for investigators to begin using experimental drugs in clinical trials.

Traditional methods involve the shipment of temperature-monitoring devices and their return to a hub for analysis before study drugs can be OK'd for use. The CRO's system, however, incorporates an RFID/sensor chip for en route temperature recording and a mobile phone in the drug packaging for the collection and transmission of temperature data. The system checks temperature at pre-set times during shipment. At the clinic, staffers access the RFID data and transmit it to a hub for review. If the temperature stays in range during transport, clinicians are given the green light to release the drug for use in the trial.

- see the Parexel announcement

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