According to Data Intelo, the global pharma air freight market attained a value of USD 19.7 billion last year and, at a CAGR of 6.2% for 2025 and beyond, is forecasted to reach a value of USD 33.7 billion by 2033. There is swiftly rising demand for temperature-sensitive biologics and fast delivery solutions, fueled by the increasing globalization of pharmaceutical supply chains. Vaccines, biopharmaceuticals, and advanced therapies all require stringent temperature control and rapid transit to maintain their efficacy, and there are many regulations in place to ensure quality transportation. Yet, what happens when things go wrong? This week, CargoForwarder Global’s guest author, Delphine Perridy, Chief Commercial Officer at Envirotainer, looks at “What happens when the Cold Chain breaks?”
Often overlooked, the global pharmaceutical cold chain plays a vital role in delivering some of the most critical healthcare breakthroughs of our time. From life-saving vaccines to advanced cell and gene therapies, many of the medicines that patients depend on are only effective if kept within strict temperature ranges from the moment they leave the manufacturing site to the moment they reach the patient.
When this chain breaks, the consequences can be serious. Temperature fluctuations can lead to spoilage, reduced efficacy or even the complete loss of a shipment. Beyond wasted product, the ripple effects can disrupt treatment schedules, undermine patient trust and create significant financial and environmental costs. As therapies become more sensitive and supply chains more complex, the margin for error is shrinking – and the need for controlled, secure cold chains is only growing.
The Scale of the Challenge
Today, an estimated 40–60% of all pharmaceuticals require temperature-controlled logistics to maintain their safety and efficacy during transport and storage. As the world’s population ages and chronic diseases become more prevalent, the demand for advanced, temperature-sensitive therapies is accelerating. By the end of this decade, biologics, gene, and cell therapies are projected to make up a significant portion of the pharmaceutical pipeline, with nearly all requiring strict temperature control.
Yet, despite these advances, 12% of pharmaceutical shipments still experience temperature excursions – incidents where products are exposed to conditions outside their safe range. For vaccines, the challenge is even more acute: according to the World Health Organization, up to 50% of vaccines are compromised each year due to failures in temperature control and logistics. These statistics underscore the urgent need for robust cold chain solutions to protect both patient safety and business outcomes.
Why cold chain failures matter
Cold chain failures can happen anywhere along the journey – on the tarmac, in transit or during last-mile delivery. The most common causes are temperature fluctuations, delayed transport, handling errors and exposure to extreme environmental conditions. Even short deviations can render sensitive products unusable.
Despite these risks, knowledge about cold chain vulnerabilities and the frequency of temperature excursions remains limited across the industry. Many ground handlers, airports, and even some logistics providers lack adequate training and awareness, leading to preventable errors and product losses.
The consequences are significant. Each year, an estimated USD 35 billion is lost due to cold chain breakdowns. When the chain breaks, the consequences are profound: patient safety is compromised, public trust is eroded, and the financial and environmental costs can be staggering.
A more fragile landscape
The pharmaceutical supply chain has always been complex, but new therapies are making it even more so. Cell and gene treatments, for example, often need to be kept anywhere between -60°C and -150°C, and their delivery timelines are measured in hours, not days. Each shipment is unique, and the path from laboratory to patient must be seamless. Any deviation can mean the loss of an irreplaceable dose.
Climate change, geopolitical instability, and disrupted trade routes add further uncertainty. Even minor temperature deviations of just 1–2°C can significantly degrade sensitive products like biologics, vaccines, and insulin, affecting their safety, stability, and effectiveness. Each link in the chain faces new challenges in maintaining the precise conditions that medicines demand.
Evolving requirements
In addition to this, the regulatory landscape continues to evolve. Authorities are tightening standards around data integrity, traceability and temperature monitoring. The expectation today is full, end-to-end control, not just of shipments, but of the data that underpins them. Pharmaceutical companies are under growing pressure to prove not only that products are safe, but that every stage of the journey can be validated and verified.
These trends are driving a shift from passive logistics to active, risk-aware management. It’s no longer enough to react when something goes wrong. The most forward-thinking organizations are focusing on prevention and designing their supply chains to anticipate risk before it occurs.
Building resilience through prevention and collaboration
Resilience has become the defining measure of a modern cold chain. While passive packaging solutions can be cost-effective for short distances, they offer limited temperature control and are highly susceptible to delays, extreme weather, and handling errors. In contrast, active solutions, equipped with real-time monitoring, deliver precise temperature control and greater reliability. These systems are the preferred choice for high-value, long-distance, or ultra-sensitive pharmaceutical shipments where product integrity is paramount.
Modern cold chains are increasingly proactive rather than reactive. Organizations are leveraging real-time monitoring, predictive analytics, and early-warning systems to anticipate potential failures before they can occur. These tools allow logistics teams to track shipments minute by minute, identify potential changes, and intervene before product quality or patient safety is compromised.
But technology alone is not enough, it must be used in conjunction with collaboration. The pharmaceutical cold chain is a shared ecosystem, involving manufacturers, logistics providers, carriers, packaging specialists and regulators. Each plays a critical role in ensuring that therapies arrive safely and on time.
The real cost of getting it wrong
When the cold chain fails, the consequences extend far beyond the warehouse. A single temperature fluctuation can undo months of research, thousands in investment, and most importantly, a patient’s chance of treatment.
As the pharmaceutical landscape evolves, resilience will increasingly define success. The companies that prioritize prevention, invest in innovation and collaborate across the ecosystem, will be best placed to make sure that the next generation of therapies reaches patients safely, wherever they are in the world. Because when the cold chain breaks, it’s not just products that are lost, it’s trust, opportunity and, sometimes, lives. Keeping that chain intact has never been more vital.
Delphine Perridy, Chief Commercial Officer at Envirotainer
