March 10, 2022
The new clinical trial logistics hub reaches research sites in East, Central and West Africa faster and at a reduced cost, compared with established supply chain models
Huntingdon, United Kingdom (March 10, 2022) – Oximio is changing the landscape of clinical trials in sub-Saharan Africa, with its new transit depot near Nairobi. Positioned to serve Kenya and act as a gateway for logistics across East, Central and West Africa, the organisation provides clinical trial material, comparator medicines and ancillary supplies to clinical sites throughout these regions.
Fully operational and licensed from November 2021, Oximio Kenya creates end-to-end supply chain solutions for multinational clinical trials, ultimately attracting more sponsors and new technologies to the region to reach larger patient populations. With its first projects in the start-up phase last month, services extend beyond storage distribution to managing end-to-end processes, from comparator sourcing and courier services to providing country-specific labeling and kit assembly.
Clinical Trial Applicants can now save the Sponsor money on logistics, by utilising their Regulatory Approval to send fewer consolidated exports to Oximio Kenya central warehouse, for rapid redistribution to sites. This permits the direct release of imported consignments to the depot, where customs clearance allows continuous temperature control management.
By authorising Oximio Kenya as Importer of Record (IoR), timescales for the set-up and delivery of clinical studies are ensured through rapid local and cross-border shipments. With optimised courier solutions, research sites are now supplied faster, with minimised temperature excursion risk, consolidated consignments and reduced costs, compared to the traditional direct-to-site model.
Oximio’s depot is located near Limuru, twenty-five minutes away from the Nairobi CBD and two minutes away from the road linking Nairobi with the country’s west. Oximio’s sub-Saharan Africa managing director, Rob van den Bergh said: “Our focus is to provide best-in-class supply chain solutions to increase efficiency, lower the research cost per patient and ultimately attract more sponsors, thereby offering a wider spectrum of clinical research into all regions.”
The newly commissioned warehouse is designed to meet international standards to house Oximio’s leading cold-chain operations. It is compliant with GxP regulation and designed to provide storage for temperature ranges including +15 to +25°C, +2 to +8°C, -15 to -25°C and -80°C. The facility is licensed to store investigational medicine, medical devices, commercial medicines, ancillaries and other PPB-approved drugs.
“The clinical trial industry is one of the most heavily regulated, and Oximio is the only company providing clinical trial logistics support as a one-stop-shop for the sub-Saharan Africa continent via our local depot in Pretoria, South Africa, a partner depot in Egypt and now, our transit customs depot in Kenya,” added van den Bergh.
Oximio Group CEO Krisztina Varga added: “Our intention is to team up with sponsors, CROs and CMOs, and together create opportunities to enable more clinical trials in the regions. This is a key differentiator and elevates the patient focus in sub-Saharan Africa.”
Originally published on Pharmaceutical Technology.