Cryoport unveils cutting-edge global distribution and logistics center
Cryoport Systems (TN, USA), a global leader of temperature-controlled logistics solutions recently opened their state-of-the-art global supply chain and logistics center in Morris Plains (NJ, USA). The new facility will play a critical role in the storing and shipping of lifesaving medicines to patients in need, supporting major biotech companies such as Novartis (Basel, Switzerland), Bristol Myers Squibb (NY, USA) and Johnson & Johnson (NJ, USA).
The 20,000 square-foot office will house 70 employees and is the second global distribution center Cryoport opened this week, the other being in Houston (TX, USA)
Robert Jones, Vice President of Global Bioservices at Cryoport, reported that the facility has already received the first doses of a cell therapy from a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. Cryoport is currently supporting over 600 clinical trials and multiple cell andgene therapies in commercial distribution. This treatment will be utilized in such clinical trials, treating patients with advanced B-cell lymphoma and acute myeloid leukemia across clinics in the United States.
It was revealed that the company represents 90% of the commercial therapies on the market. Jerrell Shelton, President and CEO of Cryoport, mentioned “the fundamental technology that we have is vital to the life sciences and its advancement.”
Medical supply chains are one of the most challenging to navigate, especially in the case of cell and gene therapies, due to their rigorous temperature and chain identity requirements. Despite the complexities in the manufacture and distribution of cell and gene therapies, there has been a rapid growth of interest within the immunotherapy industry. According to Jones, as the industry continues to grow, so does the volumes of materials, which highlights the need for global logistics centers.
“The growth [of the industry] is rapid – but the supporting infrastructure isn’t,” commented Jones. “The number of therapy developers is increasing every month, and new types of advanced therapies are emerging and evolving very rapidly. The manufacturing capacity for these unique therapies is limited – which is why many therapy developers have to invest in their own manufacturing facilities, sometimes even to manufacture some of the starting materials used in the manufacturing of their therapy (e.g., viral vector).”
“The therapy developers cannot manage this amount of material themselves – nor do they want to,” Jones continued. “They need reliable partners, with suitable facilities to help them manage their valuable materials – including the therapeutic materials and the raw materials that are used in the manufacturing process.”
Source: https://njbmagazine.com/njb-news-now/cryoport-opens-life-sciences-logistics-center-in-morris-plains/
