Temperature Control in the Last Mile: Overcoming Delivery Challenges for Pharmaceuticals

In this guide: 

• The Importance of Temperature Control in Pharma Logistics
• Challenges in the Last Mile
• Technology and Innovation in Temperature Management
• Collaboration and Best Practices

The Importance of Temperature Control in Pharma Logistics

Temperature control is a fundamental aspect of pharma logistics. Some medications, like paracetamol or statins, remain inert at room temperature. Even if temperatures soar or plunge, the medication itself is unchanged – safe for human consumption.
Other medications are incredibly temperature sensitive. Such pharmaceuticals can become ineffective or even harmful if the temperature veers outside a particular range. This includes:

• Vaccines, e.g., COVID-19 vaccines, MMR, and HPV
• Insulin, e.g., Humalog, Lantus, and Novolog
• Biologics and Monoclonal Antibodies
• Hormones
• Certain antibiotics
• Eye Drops and Ophthalmics

Most of these medicines are proteins which denature and unravel at higher temperatures, including room temperature. It’s therefore critical that they remain refrigerated for the entire duration of their transport.
Given the risks to patients, regulators pay close attention to last-mile delivery to ensure there’s no risk of temperature fluctuations. This is regulated by global standards and agencies, such as the GDP, the FDA, and the EMA.

Challenges in the Last Mile

Trucks, vans, and delivery vehicles don’t naturally regulate temperature — far from it. In fact, during the last mile delivery, temperatures inside the warm, metal container can spike, especially on a sunny summer’s day.

Refrigeration units and boxes are used to mitigate these factors. However, there are numerous challenges to overcome. These include:

• Real-Time Monitoring. How do you know that a particular temperature range was maintained for the entire duration of a journey? It’s a problem of last-mile tracking. You can’t assume that it’s the case. You need real data to provide visibility for the end of the supply chain.
• Unpredictable Environmental Conditions. The weather is inherently unstable. Even with modern forecasting tools, it remains difficult to predict – especially in urban settings where the heat island effect can push temperatures even higher.
• Infrastructure Gaps in Rural or Developing Regions. It’s one thing to fly a crate of vaccines in a temperature-controlled aeroplane; it’s quite another to deliver them successfully to a remote village. Temperature sensitivity means every mile counts.

Technology and Innovation in Temperature Management

So, what’s the solution? How do pharmaceutical companies get around these logistical challenges? The answer is last-mile delivery software – supported by a suite of smart technologies.

Let’s break down the core objectives:

• Measure the temperature within the vehicle accurately.
• Monitor that data remotely and store it for audit or analysis.
• Maintain temperature control not just in transit, but during handoff at pickup and delivery.

These are the fundamentals – but in practice, they’re complicated by external factors like traffic congestion, sudden weather shifts, poor handovers, and technical faults.

Smart Sensors and Cold Chain Packaging

To address these challenges, companies turn to technology.

First up: IoT-enabled sensors. Known collectively as the Internet of Things, these sensors are embedded in everything from vehicles to carry bags. They track temperature, location, and environmental data in real time – feeding it back into last-mile delivery software via the cloud. This gives operators a live view of what’s happening, right down to individual packages.

Next is cold chain packaging. Passive cooling – such as insulated containers, gel packs, and phase-change materials – helps maintain safe temperatures during short transfers. But for the longer haul, active cooling systems inside vehicles are essential. In some cases, passive systems alone are enough – but delays like traffic can still pose a risk if there’s no active backup.

Route Optimisation Through AI and Analytics

The final piece of the puzzle is AI and predictive analytics.

These systems analyse live traffic data, urban congestion patterns, and even weather forecasts to optimise delivery routes in real time. That could mean re-routing a driver to avoid an accident or adjusting ETAs based on road conditions.

Individually, these adjustments might seem minor. But across thousands of deliveries per year, they result in major gains – fewer delays, fewer temperature breaches, and better patient outcomes.

Collaboration and Best Practices

Obviously, no single company can manage this alone. Pharmaceutical companies are experts in their field. But they’re not logistics geniuses – nor are logistics firms capable of designing software for last-mile tracking.

This means it’s a team effort.

Partnerships between pharma companies, logistics providers, and tech firms make the miraculous possible – life-saving medications delivered safely and on time.

Moreover, these companies often pass on knowledge and experience to each other. MIXMOVE, for example, might design last-mile delivery software, but we also support pharma companies and logistics providers, training personnel and advising companies how to optimise their systems.

Final Thoughts

The last mile of a delivery isn’t an afterthought – especially not for temperature-sensitive deliveries. Pharmaceutical and logistics companies must plan carefully for transporting these products. Any temperature fluctuations can result in ineffective medication or, worse, harm to patients.

MIXMOVE designs and builds last-mile delivery software for these industries. We know the challenges our clients face – and how to overcome these risks.

MIXMOVE’s pharma-focused software includes:

• X-Deliver: real-time tracking and efficiency insights
• X-Dock: improved fill rates and handover accuracy
• X-Track: predictive monitoring and compliance assurance

Want to see how our last-mile delivery software works in action? Book a free demo today and discover how MIXMOVE can help you safeguard temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals—right through to the final mile.