Life Sciences and Healthcare Logistics
It's one thing to say you care about healthcare, but another thing to show it. We Care.
Delivering Next-Level Healthcare
The pursuit of better healthcare access, increased choice, and improved patient outcomes is causing unprecedented shifts in how health services are being delivered. At the same time, a patient-centric approach and differentiated routes to market are transforming healthcare supply chains. Powerful trends include advanced therapies, digital healthcare, new ecosystems, and the need for increased sustainability and resilience.
Today’s healthcare supply chains must adapt to deliver next-level healthcare from expanded cold chain capabilities, catering for temperatures down to -196°C, and direct-to-X delivery models to the implementation of sustainable solutions and the development of completely new supply chain archetypes.
With the largest global healthcare logistics network and more than 20 years of experience, we see it as our responsibility to take on challenges that will transform healthcare logistics and enable a new generation of life sciences and healthcare services. DHL is well-positioned to support customers to ensure the delivery of next-level healthcare.
9000+
LSH Certified Specialists
170+
GDP Qualified Warehouses in 43 Countries
120
Life Sciences-Certified Air Freight Stations
180+
Countries offer World Medical Express
Our Core Life Sciences and Healthcare Subsectors
Innovative, responsive, and integrated life science and healthcare logistics services designed to support our customers in caring for their patients.
Discover Our Upcoming Life Sciences and Healthcare Events
Experience our events for Life Sciences and Healthcare customers. We look forward to welcoming you.
Expertise in Life Sciences and Healthcare Logistics
At DHL, we have a full suite of specialized solutions built around more than 20 years of experience in delivering healthcare logistics to the world. Discover our dedicated areas of expertise.
Pharmaceuticals
Pharmaceutical supply chains are under pressure to target cost reduction and operational efficiency while remaining compliant within a complex regulatory environment and delivering to an increasing number of end-user locations. DHL has more than 20 years of experience managing pharmaceutical supply chains to help you stay cool under pressure and deliver.
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Clinical Trials
Supply chains must be ready to handle the accelerated pace and complexity of modern clinical research and new generations of virtual, hybrid, and adaptive trial design. We’re here to make the thousands of connections between researchers, sponsors, and patients compliant, safe, and effortless.
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Medical Devices
Whether low-value disposable items or high-value capital equipment, DHL provides end-to-end lifecycle services with scale, visibility, and flexibility. From device final mile to spare parts delivery, returns, and disposal, we want to ensure every medical device has the potential to change someone's life.
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Consumer Healthcare
Consumers are becoming more proactive in the management of their wellbeing through self-care. Ageing populations are looking for a wider variety of healthcare options. Markets are growing across new geographies, and e-commerce volume is increasing. At DHL, we understand the importance of maximizing on-shelf and online product availability to maximize sales opportunities. Our globally standardized processes and investment into automation and robotics will help you achieve cost and operational efficiency across your end-to-end supply chain.
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Aid and Relief
Public health, humanitarian, and non-governmental organizations look to DHL to provide the necessary supply chain expertise for the storage and distribution of all categories of medical goods, as well as essential aid and relief supplies. Smart and resilient supply chains reduce waste, speed up response times, and make funds go further. They strengthen health systems to bring the world closer to the UN Sustainable Development Goal of good health and well-being for all.
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Animal Health
Pet owners and livestock managers are demanding customized healthcare solutions that are accessible and ethically responsible. The need for stable access to veterinary services, disease control, and cost-effective pharmaceuticals is paramount.
DHL is the trusted logistics partner to the Animal Health sector, ensuring cost-effective and sustainable supply chain solutions. Our strategically located facilities expedite the delivery of vital supplies, reduce lead times, and meet peak demand. Whether you are delivering bulk treatments to commercial farmers or bespoke treatments to pet owners around the world, we have a solution ready for you.
We provide complete control and visibility of your supply chain, offering dedicated or shared solutions based on your unique requirements. Our expertise in sustainability not only meets regulatory standards, but also reduces costs. As the Animal Health market grows, we're here to support your success and the well-being of animals and their human companions.
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Pharmaceuticals
Pharmaceutical supply chains are under pressure to target cost reduction and operational efficiency while remaining compliant within a complex regulatory environment and delivering to an increasing number of end-user locations. DHL has more than 20 years of experience managing pharmaceutical supply chains to help you stay cool under pressure and deliver.
Read More
Clinical Trials
Supply chains must be ready to handle the accelerated pace and complexity of modern clinical research and new generations of virtual, hybrid, and adaptive trial design. We’re here to make the thousands of connections between researchers, sponsors, and patients compliant, safe, and effortless.
Read More
Medical Devices
Whether low-value disposable items or high-value capital equipment, DHL provides end-to-end lifecycle services with scale, visibility, and flexibility. From device final mile to spare parts delivery, returns, and disposal, we want to ensure every medical device has the potential to change someone's life.
Read More
Consumer Healthcare
Consumers are becoming more proactive in the management of their wellbeing through self-care. Ageing populations are looking for a wider variety of healthcare options. Markets are growing across new geographies, and e-commerce volume is increasing. At DHL, we understand the importance of maximizing on-shelf and online product availability to maximize sales opportunities. Our globally standardized processes and investment into automation and robotics will help you achieve cost and operational efficiency across your end-to-end supply chain.
Read More
Aid and Relief
Public health, humanitarian, and non-governmental organizations look to DHL to provide the necessary supply chain expertise for the storage and distribution of all categories of medical goods, as well as essential aid and relief supplies. Smart and resilient supply chains reduce waste, speed up response times, and make funds go further. They strengthen health systems to bring the world closer to the UN Sustainable Development Goal of good health and well-being for all.
Read More
Animal Health
Pet owners and livestock managers are demanding customized healthcare solutions that are accessible and ethically responsible. The need for stable access to veterinary services, disease control, and cost-effective pharmaceuticals is paramount.
DHL is the trusted logistics partner to the Animal Health sector, ensuring cost-effective and sustainable supply chain solutions. Our strategically located facilities expedite the delivery of vital supplies, reduce lead times, and meet peak demand. Whether you are delivering bulk treatments to commercial farmers or bespoke treatments to pet owners around the world, we have a solution ready for you.
We provide complete control and visibility of your supply chain, offering dedicated or shared solutions based on your unique requirements. Our expertise in sustainability not only meets regulatory standards, but also reduces costs. As the Animal Health market grows, we're here to support your success and the well-being of animals and their human companions.
Explore More
Delivering Next-Level Healthcare
Learn how today's healthcare supply chains are adapting to the needs of tomorrow's therapies.
Industry Trends in Life Sciences and Healthcare
Discover the key trends that are transforming the industry, reshaping supply chains and delivering next-level healthcare.
Patient-Centric Healthcare
Self-care and taking ownership of personal health have become more important to consumers. Tailored and personalized treatment needs closer, more responsive links between pharmaceutical companies and end-users. Patients increasingly expect the same choice and convenience in healthcare that they have when procuring other products and services. These changes have created a demand for new, patient-centric value chains in healthcare, capable of delivering drugs and medical devices to a much wider range of end-user settings. Pharma companies, device makers, and healthcare providers are developing more patient and consumer-centric approaches, facilitated by a wide range of direct-to-X supply chain models.
Advanced Therapies
Biopharma makes up more than 33% of the global pharmaceutical market and is forecast to grow further. As biopharma’s market share grows, the demands placed upon supply chains will also increase. Delicate and expensive biopharmaceutical products require careful handling with tight temperature controls and rigorous tracking. Managing complex supply chains in a regulatory-compliant, cost-effective way demands rigorous end-to-end control. Advances in shipment tracking, enabled by smart sensor solutions, allow customers to see the whereabouts of products in real-time and alert them to temperature excursions or other events that threaten their viability.
Digital Healthcare
Digital technologies are accelerating drug discovery, helping clinicians identify the best patient treatment options, and even automating drug distribution. The evolution of advanced analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies helps identify valuable insights from big data, allowing value chain participants to implement new approaches and automate activities more effectively. Digitalization is reshaping healthcare supply and driving advancement across every discipline, including visibility, quality, compliance, orchestration, and agility
New Ecosystems
Advances in science and technology are driving shifts in the structure of the global healthcare industry. To address unmet clinical needs, or to bring new therapies to market quickly and at scale, life sciences companies are collaborating with new partners or working together in new ways. These new collaborations allow the healthcare sector to innovate at scale, by drawing upon the expertise of multiple organizations to create new product offerings and service solutions. And for many of tomorrow’s healthcare innovations, advanced supply chain and logistics capabilities will be a key piece of the puzzle.
Sustainable Solutions
Reducing waste and cutting emissions through supply chain redesign is a key priority for a sector that has traditionally prioritized availability, safety, and regulatory compliance in its production and distribution networks. Logistics processes present largely untapped opportunities for significant reductions in carbon emissions and environmental improvements. These will come from multiple sources, including carbon-neutral warehousing, alternative transportation fuels, returnable packaging technologies, optimized inventory, and delivery models that ensure high levels of availability while minimizing waste.
The Race for Resilience
The Covid-19 pandemic has made the healthcare sector review its supply chain structure to address issues such as the shortage of drugs and equipment. These include widely used antibiotics, painkillers, insulin, and implantable cardiac devices. The sector has recognized the need to build resilient logistics supply chains to safeguard its ability to adapt and recover swiftly from interruptions, ensuring continuous access to vital medical products and services during challenges or crises. Strategic planning, nearshoring, omni-sourcing, capacity access, innovation, and agile response mechanisms will help to develop increased resilience and maintain the flow of critical healthcare products.
Patient-Centric Healthcare
Self-care and taking ownership of personal health have become more important to consumers. Tailored and personalized treatment needs closer, more responsive links between pharmaceutical companies and end-users. Patients increasingly expect the same choice and convenience in healthcare that they have when procuring other products and services. These changes have created a demand for new, patient-centric value chains in healthcare, capable of delivering drugs and medical devices to a much wider range of end-user settings. Pharma companies, device makers, and healthcare providers are developing more patient and consumer-centric approaches, facilitated by a wide range of direct-to-X supply chain models.
Advanced Therapies
Biopharma makes up more than 33% of the global pharmaceutical market and is forecast to grow further. As biopharma’s market share grows, the demands placed upon supply chains will also increase. Delicate and expensive biopharmaceutical products require careful handling with tight temperature controls and rigorous tracking. Managing complex supply chains in a regulatory-compliant, cost-effective way demands rigorous end-to-end control. Advances in shipment tracking, enabled by smart sensor solutions, allow customers to see the whereabouts of products in real-time and alert them to temperature excursions or other events that threaten their viability.
Digital Healthcare
Digital technologies are accelerating drug discovery, helping clinicians identify the best patient treatment options, and even automating drug distribution. The evolution of advanced analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies helps identify valuable insights from big data, allowing value chain participants to implement new approaches and automate activities more effectively. Digitalization is reshaping healthcare supply and driving advancement across every discipline, including visibility, quality, compliance, orchestration, and agility
New Ecosystems
Advances in science and technology are driving shifts in the structure of the global healthcare industry. To address unmet clinical needs, or to bring new therapies to market quickly and at scale, life sciences companies are collaborating with new partners or working together in new ways. These new collaborations allow the healthcare sector to innovate at scale, by drawing upon the expertise of multiple organizations to create new product offerings and service solutions. And for many of tomorrow’s healthcare innovations, advanced supply chain and logistics capabilities will be a key piece of the puzzle.
Sustainable Solutions
Reducing waste and cutting emissions through supply chain redesign is a key priority for a sector that has traditionally prioritized availability, safety, and regulatory compliance in its production and distribution networks. Logistics processes present largely untapped opportunities for significant reductions in carbon emissions and environmental improvements. These will come from multiple sources, including carbon-neutral warehousing, alternative transportation fuels, returnable packaging technologies, optimized inventory, and delivery models that ensure high levels of availability while minimizing waste.
The Race for Resilience
The Covid-19 pandemic has made the healthcare sector review its supply chain structure to address issues such as the shortage of drugs and equipment. These include widely used antibiotics, painkillers, insulin, and implantable cardiac devices. The sector has recognized the need to build resilient logistics supply chains to safeguard its ability to adapt and recover swiftly from interruptions, ensuring continuous access to vital medical products and services during challenges or crises. Strategic planning, nearshoring, omni-sourcing, capacity access, innovation, and agile response mechanisms will help to develop increased resilience and maintain the flow of critical healthcare products.
Life Sciences and Healthcare Case Studies
Review a range of in-depth healthcare logistics case studies and discover practical examples of how we helped our customers stay at the cutting edge of Life Sciences and Healthcare logistics.
Our Commitment to Our Customers
Care isn’t something you say, it’s something you do. You show it by taking on the tough challenges, not just the straightforward ones, by doing what’s right, what needs to be done, and exceeding expectations because you can. Stepping up with whatever support the sector needs within the framework of regulatory compliance. This is the difference we’ve brought to the life sciences and healthcare industry. We Care.
Discover More Life Sciences and Healthcare Insights from DHL
Life Sciences and Healthcare business insights and logistics innovations from across the world of DHL. Explore Our Insights.
Our Life Sciences and Healthcare Experts
The Life Sciences and Healthcare experts in our divisions are:
