Ensuring safety: Collaboration and team work helps successful storage of flu vaccines

A world leader in influenza vaccines required short-term, temperature-controlled space for storing the pallets. Vaccines are always stored with the highest level of protection: in GxP compliant warehouses that include cold storage (2-8 degrees). The warehouses also undergo GxP audits to ensure safety. The current restrictions due to coronavirus regulations added another layer of complexity to the whole process. The customer reached out to Kuehne+Nagel to help them, because of our long experience in storing and delivering sensitive pharmaceuticals.

Our Pharma and Healthcare team selected three strategic warehouse locations in the UK that could store the vaccines safely before they were delivered to patients. The team had maintained an “Audit Ready” status in these locations. One of the warehouses, in Chapeltown, was a new location for our customer. To add the warehouse to the quality agreement with our customer, various teams, including local management, national quality, and the key accounts met online and quickly adapted the standard auditing methods to the coronavirus restrictions. The collaboration would ensure the highest levels of compliance and safety at the warehouse, despite COVID-19. 

The on-site audit, despite the lack of the usual number of people, had to be thorough. The teams on-site wore complete PPE, including masks, and filled out coronavirus forms to record and authorize entry. Social distancing standards were set and followed diligently, with only small groups allowed inside at a time. Each group that was previously on-site had to provide a complete knowledge transfer to group that would go next. Jenna Speed, our Excellence Manager, recalls, “The goal of the teams was always to find that balance between not being on site for very long, due to coronavirus, but being on site long enough to complete a diligent audit.” 

Ultimately, the collaboration and hard work paid off - the audit was completed successfully. A compliance manager from our client recounts, “A positive attitude was maintained throughout the audit with all key personnel available. It was recognised the auditees were very knowledgeable of their business and in the governance of their activities.”

The compliance manager elaborates, “The audit took place in an open, honest and constructive atmosphere with all requested documentation provided in a timely manner.” Due to these audits and provision of compliant storage spaces, the vaccines made it to their destinations safely and on time - ready for the people that needed them.