Kenco, QPharma Collaborate on Improving Supply Chain Challenges
The partnership revolves around augmenting regulatory compliance, along with drug sampling distribution and compliance.
Kenco, a provider of third-party logistics (3PL)—which happens to be a major area of coverage for Pharma Commerce—has partnered with QPharma, a cloud-based software company, to add pharmaceutical sample fulfillment to the 3PL’s life sciences division.1 Being heavily involved with commercial pharmaceutical fulfillment, the addition of this sample distribution capability provides the 3PL with the ability to not only consolidate logistics vendors, but also boost its distribution speed and better control quality assurance audits.
As a result of the collaboration, QPharma will utilize its software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform in order to make sure that shipments successfully adhere to state, federal, and international regulations, including 21 CFR Part II and the Prescription Drug Market Act, both of which strive to provide safety and secure drug traceability throughout the entire pharmaceutical supply chain.
“Our partnership with QPharma is key to our continued investment into the life sciences industry,” said Tim McClatchy, Kenco’s head of life sciences. “By expanding our pharmaceutical fulfillment services to include drug samples, we’ve essentially consolidated our customers’ fulfillment needs under one roof, reduced their logistics complexity, and ensured compliance with industry regulations.”
Aside from the warehousing and fulfillment services that it provides, another advantage of the deal is the expansion of compliance services—now that QPharma is in the mix, an additional number of pharma companies will have access to this compliance software.
“By partnering with a well-known 3PL like Kenco, we will take our sample distribution services to the next level,” commented John Cunningham, chief commercial officer at QPharma. “Our expanded fulfillment capabilities allow us to exceed customer expectations and open the door to future, larger opportunities, all while keeping our commitment to frontend and backend compliance."
In other news, the 3PL also recently unveiled a consulting offering known as Automation Guidance, which is intended to assisting operations managers with updating their current plants with automated material handling equipment (MHE) assets.2
“For years, customers have pointed to Kenco’s trove of real-world data as one of our key differentiators. It gives us the ability to not only help customers manage their MHE day-to-day, but also counsel them on the best approach to MHE automation for their specific needs,” said Jeff Burns, president of Kenco MHE Solutions. “Executing automation can feel like a Herculean task, but when customers apply our data pool to their project, it’s easier to find the needle in the haystack—the automated MHE tools that will make the biggest difference in their operations.”
Reference
1. Kenco Partners with QPharma to Optimize Drug Sampling Distribution & Compliance. Kenco. April 30, 2024. Accessed May 2, 2024. https://kencogroup.com/news/kenco-partners-qpharma-drug-sampling-distribution-compliance/
2. Kenco grows its next-generation material handling equipment capabilities with new offering, Automation Guidance. Kenco. March 19, 2024. Accessed May 2, 2024. https://kencogroup.com/news/kenco-material-handling-equipment-capabilities-adds-automation-guidance/
