Pharma IQ & IQPC Announce the winners of the Cold Chain for Pharmaceuticals Excellence Awards 2005

The inaugural Cold Chain for Pharmaceuticals Excellence Award winners were announced at the awards luncheon held Tuesday October 18th, 2005 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, PA during the hugely successful 3rd Annual Cold Chain Distribution for Pharmaceuticals 2005, the annual learning and networking opportunity for key executives in Quality Assurance, Logistics, Warehouse Management and Supply Chain Management.

Pharma IQ established the Cold Chain for Pharmaceuticals Excellence Awards to honor, recognize and promote true best practices in Cold Chain Distribution across the industry. To identify the organizations that exemplify these qualities, a prestigious group of cold chain experts and leaders were enlisted to accurately and objectively evaluate the overall effectiveness of world-class technology implementations. The winners will no doubt set the standards of excellence for all cold chain operations.

“Through our in-depth research, we found that manufacturers and shippers of pharmaceuticals are facing increasingly demanding logistical challenges when setting up distribution processes” said Kerri Hughes, Conference Director, Pharma IQ, “Whether it is transportation of raw material between manufacturing plants or distribution of finalized products to customers, a stable temperature is crucial. Pharmaceutical companies have put in great investment and efforts in ensuring a seamless, and safe cold chain distribution channel for their products. The Cold Chain for Pharmaceuticals Excellence Awards honors those who have contributed in this area which benefited both their company and the industry as a whole.”

First Place and Honorable Mention were awarded in the following category:

Best Cold Chain Technology Provider
• Winner: Envirotainer
• Honorable Mention: TCP Reliable

The PDA-Cold Chain Discussion Group was presented with an Honorary Award, for spearheading and affirming the official cold chain guidelines for the industry, the award was accepted by Dr. Bishara, chair of PDA-Cold Chain Discussion Group. Attendees of the conference were given the opportunity to meet group representatives and learn first hand the details of the official Cold Chain Management Technical Report No. 39, and to find out how it may affect their cold chain distribution process.

“Envirotainer is honored to accept an award at the same time as such a distinguished expert within the field as Dr. Bishara and a key industry group such as the PDA-PCCD” Said Magnus Welander, CEO, Envirotainer, “Pharmaceutical companies have over the last ten years shown an openness in telling us about their needs and expectations and we have listened, tried to understand and worked hard to improve our service offer to the industry. The recognition from the industry in receiving this award proving that we have made steps to meet these demands pushes us to work even harder and smarter, to become an even more appreciated partner in the industry's joint efforts in ensuring that healthcare products reach patients in the right condition”

The conference also explored best practices for optimizing packaging, transportation and storage of temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products. The four key areas, covered within the dual track program included distribution, non-traditional supply chain, quality and packaging.

For more information on the 3rd Annual Cold Chain Distribution for Pharmaceuticals, visit www.coldchainpharma.com

Pharma IQ, provides a forum to address the critical issues facing the Pharmaceutical Industry today. Pharma IQ utilizes both workshop and conference formats to facilitate a learning environment for pharmaceuticals professionals working in all areas of drug development: from Discovery to Post-Marketing. Topic areas addressed by Pharma IQ include Nonclinical, Preclinical, Clinical, Regulatory, Manufacturing and Marketing issues. Our knowledgeable and experienced team is dedicated to providing you and your organization with tools to help you meet your goals in today’s competitive marketplace.

Pharma IQ www.iqpc.com/pharmaiq is a division of the International Quality & Productivity Center (IQPC). IQPC and its parent organization, Penton Learning Systems (founded in 1973), have trained over 2 million executives at more than 50,000 conferences and seminars.