Despite concerns of supply chain fragility as geopolitical tensions mount, global biopharma courier Biocair is braced for a surge in both the volume and complexity of material transport demand, says key account director Marcel Walraven.
Walraven described a sense of optimism in the industry heading into the year at the 2025 Clinical Trial Supply Europe conference taking place in Barcelona. However, stifling confidence in growing biopharma revenues in 2025 are mounting regulatory differences between countries. Walraven pointed to Brexit and the US Trump administration as examples where previously aligned nations have seen pharmaceutical regulations diverge in recent years, thereby complicating international transport for biopharma companies.
Speaking with Pharmaceutical Technology, Walraven acknowledged that differing regulations implemented by the UK and EU since Brexit, for example, have made transport of pharmaceutical materials between the two regions more complex. However, the sector continues to navigate these challenges.
While regulatory complexity will have an impact on the volume and cost of EU-UK transportation, he says, “EU-based pharmaceutical companies will not stop producing for the UK market.” Rather than hampering business, he noted biopharma couriers could expect revenues to increase in line with growing demand for more complex and intensive transportation services.
Digital transformation in transport is a key factor for Biocair, said Walraven. Moreover, pharma and biotech executives are developing an increasing appetite for real-time data on materials in transit, which is made possible by more affordable tracking technology.
As per a 2024 Deloitte consulting report, which surveyed senior pharma executives, there is a desire for more sustainable, environmentally friendly transportation and packaging in supply chains. A preference for road transport over air travel, integration of electric vehicles, and implementation of reusable or biodegradable packaging were among the measures that Walraven said Biocair has taken to accommodate a more green-minded industry.
However, he noted several factors stalling progress towards more fully sustainable supply chains. “On many occasions where we offer a more sustainable option compared to a more standard option, – very often, customers tend to go for the more economic option even though there is a more sustainable alternative.” For example, Walraven said the vast majority of Biocair’s customers still require air transportation, particularly when concerning time-sensitive deliveries of cutting-edge medicines such as cell and gene therapies.
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