FedEx Express to ship temperature-sensitive medicines in CryoPort container

FedEx Express is the first global carrier to offer the CryoPort Express container for transporting temperature-sensitive medicines and biomaterials after signing an agreement with CryoPort, a US producer of packaging for the life sciences industry.

Unlike dry ice shipping that often requires re-icing during transit, the CryoPort Express One-Way Shipper maintains frozen temperatures below -150ËšC for more than 10 days.

CryoPort supplies the containers and FedEx handles all the transportation logistics.

The container is pre-charged with liquid nitrogen and sent to the shipping point. The shipper then loads the materials and sends the container via FedEx. The recipient unpacks the materials and then sends the container back to CryoPort for recycling.

Because the CryoPort Express shipper does not use dry ice, the hazardous, costly and restrictive nature of shipping dry ice on aircraft has been eliminated, the company says. There is also no need for re-icing operations and the purchase, storage and disposal of non-environmentally friendly materials such as Styrofoam boxes and inserts is also not applicable.

Larry Stambaugh, ceo of the Lake Forest, California-based firm, said: "We have worked hard at putting together the right product so that FedEx customers have an option for improved sample integrity to ship high-value biologics, clinical samples and other materials requiring a frozen solution."