Experts propose to use the potential of railway and sea transport in pharmaceutical logistics

On May 15, in Moscow, within the framework of the ColdChain project of the International Coordinating Council on Trans-Eurasian Transportation (CCTT), the ‘Pharmaceutical Logistics: Prospects for the Development of Rail and Sea Transportation’ round table was held. The discussion was moderated by Mikhail Goncharov, CCTT General Secretary, and Andrey Kukharenko, Development Director, Validation Center.

The key question of the round table - how to combine the logistics of multimodal transportation with the requirements of pharmaceutical companies, - was outlined in his welcoming speech by Mikhail Sinev, President, Association of Food Sector Organisations (ASORPS). Although participation in global pharmaceutical logistics for railway and sea carriers is potentially profitable and successful, "more than 80% of pharmaceutical and other medical cargo is transported today by refrigerators," said Andrey Kukharenko.

The prospects for international multimodal transportation were confirmed by Manpret Singh, President, International Chamber of Investment and Business of India (ICIB). Exports of leading Indian pharmaceutical companies to Russia grew by 60-65%, and according to Mr. Singh, it has significant growth potential. The expert pointed out that the use of "the port of Bandar Abbas can reduce the transit time to 25 days, and this is much faster than the traditional route." This opens up great opportunities for operators working at the North-South ITC. As Manpreth Singh pointed out, "the pharmaceutical industry is very time sensitive."

Russian railway workers meet the requirements of fast delivery by 100%. Thus, the RAILJET service is able to compete with air transportation. "If the plane delivers in 6 − 7 days (including storage, customs operations, etc.), we will transport in maximum 8 days, but it costs less," said Nikolai Gvozdev, Director of Business Development, RZD Logistics. The FarmExpress service, which meets GDP standards and has a validated fleet of autonomous refcontainers manufactured in 2022, is also competitive.

With all the obvious advantages, railway workers transport a small share of pharmaceutical cargo. The reasons for the preference of other modes of transport were explained by representatives of pharmaceutical companies and operators specialising in working with them.

Maria Mitina, Director of procurement of the pharmaceutical manufacturer, spoke about the conditions that Promomed PJSC took into account in their tenders. This is the speed, cost and terms of payment. "When delivering from Shanghai to Saransk, we calculated all the options: sea, rail transportation and trucks. In this case, the trucks won: both in terms of time and price," – Mrs. Mitina gave a concrete example.

"To date, there is no tool in Russia that would justify any temperature deviation," Denis Mamonov, Leading Quality Assurance Specialist, Katren RPC, addressed the audience. A deviation of half a degree within a minute leads to the recipient refusing to accept the cargo. The chain is controlled by Roszdravnadzor, Rospotrebnadzor and a manufacturer's representative, focusing on the requirements of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Medicines have to be destroyed or enter into a legal dispute. In this case, the trial can last longer than the shelf life of the drug. "At the same time, motorway carriers are ready to accept this responsibility. And therefore, with the same tariffs and delivery times, distributors most often use truck refrigerators," Mamonov explained the dominance of motorway carriers.

Andrei Kukharenko said that the rules should have taken into account not only the violation of the regime, but also the time of the violation, as prescribed by the WHO: "the most sensitive vaccine loses most of its stability at a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius for 48 hours." And today, within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Commission, work is underway to bring the norms in force today in line with the WHO recommendations.

Anna Filippova, Director of Pharmaceutical Sector Development, WELLGO, said that "there are 118 operations in one air transportation." Thus, the transportation of each pharmaceutical cargo is a mini-project that requires the development of its own logistics, thorough risk assessment and control at all stages. "At the moment, this approach is more implemented in aviation and motorway transportation. But we are absolutely open to new opportunities and with great pleasure we will expand railway container transportation," the expert concluded her speech.

The reasons for the strict requirements for carriers lie in liability, up to criminal liability for violation of the requirements of the standards, said Sergey Baldin, CEO, Medkont LLC. Preference is given to trucks, since the truck driver is also "a personal operator who monitors the operation of the refrigeration unit," which minimises risks, Baldin noted. Expanding cooperation with rail and maritime transport will require a significant strengthening of control over the quality of transportation.

Mikhail Goncharov invited all participants in the round table to give their "suggestions on how to use the usual tools to gain experience." According to the CCTT Secretary General, it is necessary to launch a pilot project of Rail Pharm, taking into account all the requirements of pharmaceutical companies.

The main outcome of the discussion was the decision to elabourate Recommendations for the development of a network of pharmaceutical transportation by rail and sea. This document will become a roadmap containing algorithms and action plans for operators interested in transporting pharmaceutical cargo, as well as bring the positions of carriers and pharmaceutical companies closer together and will become a plan for CCTT and ASORPS to work with regulatory authorities to remove unjustified requirements that impede the development of pharmaceutical transportation. Andrei Kukharenko called on all interested parties to participate in the creation of the Recommendations: "let's try to follow a revolutionary path, not an evolutionary one. The potential of railway transport today is great, it needs to be developed, and the joint coordination of the efforts of both carriers and cargo owners, I am sure, will lead to the highest efficiency of pharmaceutical logistics".

The round table was one of a series of events preceding the COLD CHAIN EURASIA-2026 international conference organised by CCTT, ASORPS and Expo Solutions Group.