As a 2026 trend:
Three factors are currently driving the modernization of the cold chain in the transportation of medicines: stricter regulatory requirements in local and international markets; increasing product complexity to guarantee safety, quality, and efficacy; and the need for full traceability in logistics operations.
Elizabeth Poblete, Pharmaceutical Logistics Specialist & Commercial Executive at International Line, states that, from a regulatory standpoint, GDP regulations have raised the standard, “requiring not only maintaining temperature, but also being able to prove it with reliable and auditable data.”
At the same time, the executive also affirms that, from a purely technological perspective, the industry has had to incorporate a series of innovations for monitoring temperature, humidity, location, and vibration: “these are applications based on IoT (Internet of Things) that have transformed the cold chain, shifting from reactive control to preventive control.”
Elizabeth Poblete emphasizes that over time the logistics industry has evolved toward a more segmented approach in pharmaceutical transport, incorporating high-performance passive packaging designed to maintain temperature without energy consumption for extended periods. “The market currently offers a much broader range: reusable solutions, validated passive packaging, and disposable or recyclable options for specific shipments. This has made access to the cold chain more democratic, offering more economical alternatives without compromising quality, provided the packaging is properly validated.”
Today, various analysts agree that the industry is experiencing an evolution in packaging models, moving from single, very costly solutions to more flexible schemes that combine active containers, high-performance passive packaging, and reusable or disposable options depending on product value and customer profile.
In this context, one of the greatest risks that the industry still faces in pharmaceutical transport is the lack of traceable evidence proving that medicines remained within defined ranges during transit, which can directly affect the trust of clients, authorities, and patients.
