Imperial Logistics renew pharmaceutical bonded warehouse license

December 7, 2017: In a latest development, Imperial Logistics has recently procured a revised license for its pharmaceutical bonded warehouse in Centurion, South Africa.

Over last one decade, Imperial Logistics bonded warehouse had operated within the Medicines Control Council (MCC) license exclusions, which apparently barred the warehousing activities to certain donated antiretrovirals.

“Following the recent lift in restrictions by the MCC, the revised license would indeed extend benefits of our model and enable Imperial Logistics to offer additional services to our clients, and optimally serve patients across the continent through commercial, donor-funded and government channels,” said Dr Iain Barton, healthcare strategy executive of Imperial Logistics.

Its warehouse is currently one of only two pharmaceutical bonded facilities based in South Africa.

Underscoring the function and benefits of a bonded warehouse, Dr Barton said: “Known as a customs and excise warehouse, a bonded facility enable companies to import and store products destined for exportation without declaring or clearing them through customs or paying import duties and levies. The process is also managed through the South African Revenue Service (SARS),” he said.

In the case of healthcare products, it do not attract duties and levies, but the MCC of South Africa and regulatory authorities around the globe do not allow import of unregistered products into their respective countries.

Imperial Logistics’ pharmaceutical bonded facility, which is registered with SARS and the MCC, enable the pharmaceutical industry partners to easily and efficiently import products that are unregistered in South Africa, and store them on condition that products will be exported, and will not be for local consumption, he said.

Dr Barton also said that pharmaceuticals and medical device products unregistered in South Africa can be stored in Imperial Logistics’ bonded facility for six months, which can be later extended for an additional three months at the discretion of SARS.

In addition to the facility in South Africa, Imperial Logistics has another pharmaceutical bonded warehouse based in Tema, Ghana, which was launched in 2006.

For Imperial Logistics’ healthcare clients, the bonded warehouses will improve and accelerate distribution and offer cost benefits. Also because of the license, Imperial Logistics’ clients will be able to manage Portuguese packs from South Africa to Angola and Mozambique, French packs to French-speaking Africa, and Arabic packs to the Middle East.