A Puerto Rico Life Sciences Air Cargo Community programme to help members achieve IATA’s CEIV Pharma certification has proved a success with seven companies having gained the standard since the programme’s launch.
The accredited members are American Airlines, Prime Air Corp, ETH Cargo, Expeditors, César Castillo, Isla Frio Refrigeration, and Ground Motive Dependable Airline Services (GMD).
As part of the programme, the Puerto Rico Department of Economic Development and Commerce of Puerto Rico (DEDC) offered an 80% subsidy for organisations wishing to participate in the CEIV certification process.
“These accreditations are a monumental step forward in the development of Puerto Rico’s life sciences sector,” said Manuel Cidre, secretary of the DEDC.
“By investing in these certifications and subsidising participation, we are not only elevating the quality of our cold chain operations, but also empowering smaller organisations through education and collaboration across the Community.”
Tom Vincent, vice president of Prime Air Corp, said: “The CEIV Pharma Certification process has enabled us to improve our quality and compliance systems, and with other Community members doing the same, pharma handling across the island is continuously improving.”
Rodney Colon, president of GMD, added: “This initiative has had a direct impact on our competitive position; we have strengthened our operational capabilities and have contributed to cementing Puerto Rico’s place as a leading bioscience hub.”
The certification process was facilitated by research centre Industry University Research Centre Inc.
“This milestone demonstrates a steadfast commitment to maintaining the highest standards of pharmaceutical logistics in Puerto Rico, ensuring the safe and efficient delivery of critical medical products to patients worldwide,” said Ivan Lugo, executive director, INDUNIV.
The first member of the Community to achieve the IATA CEIV Pharma accreditation was logistics provider ETH Cargo in March of this year.
