39 Cold Chain and Electrical Power for Emergency Research Response

Many pharmaceutical products, and particularly investigational products, must be kept at specified temperatures during manufacturing, shipment, and storage before they are administered to patients or clinical trial participants. That is simply stated but not simply accomplished, especially when the products must be shipped long distances and arrive unharmed at remote clinical trial sites where there is little infrastructure or experience with such requirements. We describe many considerations involved in ensuring that this essential element of clinical trials and patient treatment can be met as required where capacity is wanting and review some principles and practices of physics and electrical supply to help research program planners and logisticians carry out their mission successfully.