Vaccine Pods launches innovative new technology to help in Covid-19 vaccine distribution

Vaccine Pods has launched from stealth, introducing an innovative new technology that revolutionizes the way that sensitive vaccines are transported, stored and distributed. It provides pharmaceutical companies, government organizations and NGOs the ability to streamline cold chain logistics by directly shipping a container with the vaccine safely stored in an Ultra-Low Temperature (ULT) freezer that is powered by the containers integrated power source. This innovation has global application and has the potential to save millions of lives. It is particularly vital to those most in need in rural areas and developing countries.

According to the World Health Organization, roughly 50 per cent of all vaccines must be discarded worldwide each year due to improper handling and failed temperature control. Existing cold chain storage technology is expensive and uses conventional, inefficient power sources, making it costly and difficult to support largescale distribution of vaccines from manufacture to patient inoculation. Moreover, many rural areas across the US and developing nations across the globe lack any access to modern cold chain storage technology, instead relying on cardboard boxes and dry ice to house vaccines, leading to greater spoilage and leaving these populations at the highest risk.

“With recent Covid-19 vaccine approvals, the life sciences industry, in conjunction with government agencies and supply chain partners, is aiming to deliver 300 million doses in the US alone in early 2021. Depending on the manufacturer, these vaccines must be kept temperatures between -20 to -86 degrees Celsius at all times. This has created a new and significant challenge that existing ULT cold chain storage technology is not currently equipped to support,” said Edward Collins, CEO and founder, Vaccine Pods. He added, “To help solve this public health crisis, we have engineered a cost-effective, energy-efficient technology that increases ULT cold chain storage capacity and power while working completely off the grid, enabling organisations to safely distribute more vaccines at reduced expense. Because of its cost savings and continual energy supply, this technology will not only help densely-populated localities, but also rural areas and developing countries that traditionally have not enjoyed the same access to these resources.”

Developed in partnership with HCI Energy, Vaccine Pods created power solution that leverages sustainable energy to minimize reliance on the electrical grid or fossil fuels. As a result, this power solution enables uninterrupted cold chain management and delivery of vaccines and future biologics anywhere in the world. This technology has been designed for use with Stirling Ultracold’s SU780XLE vaccine freezers.

“The industry is facing an unprecedented situation. Covid-19 vaccines must be kept at extremely low temperatures, whether they’re in transit or being stored in a local healthcare facility. Supply chains face major operational hurdles to support the proper distribution of these vaccines at such massive scale,” said Dusty Tenney, CEO, Stirling Ultracold. He added, “Vaccine Pods’ charging station technology is a gamechanger. It allows companies like Stirling Ultracold to ramp up capacity and accommodate growing energy requirements of our ULT freezers, guaranteeing that we can maintain vaccines at constant ultra-low temperatures until point of use. This is major step forward that will help supply chains meet the urgent need for COVID vaccines.”

The power solution provides comprehensive visibility of storage freezers across the supply chain. These real-time insights include temperatures of freezers located anywhere in the world, 24-hour monitoring of location, security and remote access permissions, solar array and deployment status with real-time weather tracking to deploy or retract the solar panels in the case of inclement weather, power system performance and status and fuel levels.

Headquartered in North Kansas City, MO, Vaccine Pods will continue to grow its staff, ramp up go-to-market efforts and expand its global reach in 2021.“Vaccine Pods’ launch from stealth illustrates North Kansas City’s continuing emergence as a hub for innovation,” said Don Stielow, Mayor, North Kansas City, MO. He added, “The company’s mission reflects both the creative and generous spirit of our city: Vaccine Pods has developed a groundbreaking technology; what’s more, this technological breakthrough is intended to help save lives locally and across the globe.”

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