Pharma shippers give agents a poor report card

Pharmaceutical importers and exporters have criticised clearing and forwarding agents for their lack of understanding of pharmaceutical products and poor communication. “We have contracted a number of freight forwarding companies to handle our clearance and distribution – from the top multinationals to the smaller, independent companies – to see if paying a higher price would make a difference and deliver better service and I have to say, I saw no difference at all,” said a logistics manager of a US-based global pharmaceutical firm. Speaking to FTW on the sidelines of a Savino Del Bene Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Interactive Forum in Johannesburg last week, she referred to the recent storm in the port of Durban as a case in point, “This caused a three- to four-week delay of a major shipment of medicines – and I had to read about the storm in the newspaper and phone my agent myself to get an update on the impact on the delivery of my shipments,” she said. She told FTW that the freight forwarder was her point of call so she didn’t expect the port or the shipping line to be in touch – but she did expect ongoing feedback from her clearing agent. “There is also a lack of communication between agents, port health authorities and the Medicines Control Council (MCC),” she said. Another pharma shipper – whose company ships mainly over-the-counter medicines – agreed, noting that many freight forwarders he had dealt with didn’t keep up to date with changing regulations from the MCC. “As a result, about 80% of our shipments get stopped by the MCC because the required documents are not correct.” He said that this had often cost his company revenue. “And even a small delay on the road can damage an entire shipment of temperature-sensitive medications.” Shippers told FTW there was a “real need” for proper training and ongoing awareness programmes for freight forwarders dealing with the shipment of pharmaceuticals. According to department of trade and industry data, the South African pharmaceutical sector is the largest drug market in Africa, with the fifth highest expenditure on pharmaceuticals per capita. It is expected that by 2019 South African exports of pharmaceutical products will reach R7.1 billion.