2022: The Year Direct-to-Patient Distribution Takes Hold

As 2021 winds down with COVID still wreaking havoc on our activities of daily living, one thing is now fairly certain: going back to the “old” ways of doing things seems further out of reach. As we are encouraged to hunker down this holiday season along with social distancing and masking, the case for direct to patient (DTP) prescription delivery is only intensifying.

As manufacturers and distributors face growing demand for direct patient delivery in the face of closing brick and mortar pharmacies and burned-out pharmacy professionals, there are numerous benefits stakeholders can achieve by adopting a patient-centric approach:

1. Increased Satisfaction. Whether it a necessity for public health or a convenience enjoyed by homebodies, curbside pickup and at-home delivery services are with us for good. We live in a world where nearly any store, virtual or physical, can deliver almost anything to our homes in less than 48 hours, supported by consumer-friendly location tracking updates. So by embracing the DTP model where it makes sense, manufacturers can meet the needs of patients and enjoy the favorable brand recognition that follows. This has already been established by the success of decentralized trials.

2. Increased Confidence. The presence of counterfeit drug products in supply chains continues to be concerning. Of the most commonly counterfeited therapies, more than half have temperature controlled handling and storage requirements. By removing handoffs during the transportation and distribution processes, pharmaceutical products are far less likely to reach patients in a degraded state. This not only removes risk from bad actors, but also diminishes much of the ‘naturally occurring risk’ due to temperature fluctuations that occur the longer a therapy is in transit due to delays – weather, logistics, mishandling and so forth.

3. Cost Savings.  Real-time product visibility thanks to integrated temperature and condition loggers embedded into consumer-friendly cold chain packaging reduces product waste. Smart IoT devices give patients confidence and relay vital data to manufacturers for process optimization. Further thanks to direct communication with patients, who are typically quite happy track and accept their therapy. DTP also offers the opportunity to introduce environmentally-friendly packaging that is reusable, reducing manufacturing expenses (real and eco) and demonstrating a visible commitment to protecting our planet.  

Interested in learning more about AeroSafe Global’s DTP container program? Read an article here or else send us a note and let’s talk!