IAG Cargo receives EU GDP accreditation... and Igs might fly!
The European Union published its updated guidelines on GDP in November 2013 and following an inspection by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) the airline IAG Cargo has been granted GDP and Wholesale Distribution Authorisation (WDA) for medicinal products.
“Since the introduction of the EU GDP 2013/C 343/01 it was unclear that the airport facilities handling cold chain shipments came under the definition of the new EU GDP Guidelines,” IAG’s Global Head of Pharmaceuticals & Life Sciences Alan Dorling told Outsourcing-pharma.com
“However, the MHRA has decreed that any airport handling facility or equipment of cold chain products come under the definition of ‘holding & exporting’ and not transportation and therefore need to be licenced.”
In order to be accredited full GDP and WDA, the company – formed by the merger of British Airways World Cargo and Iberia Cargo in 2011 – built a temperature controlled airside facility at London Heathrow, equipped with a three layer 24 hour reporting system
“Our robust Quality Management System and Quality training was delivered to over 100 operational and warehouse personnel at London Heathrow’s Premia and Constant Climate Centre facilities which handle the product shipments on a daily basis,” Doring explained.
Premia and Constant Climate are producta within IAG’s portfolio focused on the pharma industry’s needs.
According to Doring, IAG has achieved significant growth in this sector with over 20,000 consignments this year, attributing this to the firm’s “investments in people with the right expertise , temperature controlled infrastructure facilities and technology.”
