Marken has received approval from Brazil’s ANVISA to ship biological samples from Sao Paulo’s Viracopos airport to the USA using UPS airline.
The pilot programme approved by the Brazilian authorities will allow biologic samples to depart from Sao Paulo, allowing Marken to take advantage of existing UPS flights to any US city.
The new hybrid service extends the latest pick up times for 21 Brazilian cities by up to five hours, allowing investigators more time to prepare and package the sample.
The use of UPS also reduces reliance on commercial airlines, which can offload biologic cargo from time to time leading to shipment delays.
Marken has increased its staff in Brazil due to the continued strong demand from cities in Brazil, which are an important source of patients for clinical trials.
The company has deployed members of its Mexico operations team to assist with the new service from Brazil, given the success of a similar hybrid service from Mexico City launched a year ago.
Chief executive officer, Wes Wheeler says: “Brazil becomes the latest country from which we can offer a hybrid transport option to the United States. The new option, which allows use of a second Sao Paulo – based airport at Viracopos provides maximum flexibility for our clients.
“We can offer later pick-up times, earlier US delivery times and reduced paperwork for investigators in many Brazilian cities. We are the only clinical courier who can offer this level of flexibility and value. We will continue to develop hybrid options for many other cities throughout the world.”
