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Specialty Pharma

Delivered with Care: Expert Logistics for Next-Level Pharma Treatments


A new age of specialty pharmaceuticals, enabled by pharma companies’ huge investments in R&D, is transforming the lives of patients with complex, chronic or rare illnesses. However, the precise handling needed for these highly sensitive treatments such as biologics, radiopharmaceuticals and cell & gene therapies means biopharma companies require carefully controlled specialty pharma logistics solutions, tailored specifically to each product.

In this rapidly evolving market, companies require fully compliant, end-to-end, resilient specialty pharma logistics solutions across a wide range of temperature specifications. But more than that, they need a trusted partner that understands the impact of their work. At DHL, we care. We work closely with healthcare customers to develop innovative solutions that effectively address industry challenges, and our global network of healthcare experts appreciates that every treatment we handle makes a difference to a patient’s life.

We provide next-level advanced pharmaceutical logistics services that deliver:

Integrated E2E Solutions

Global reach, across the chain of ownership.

Highest Quality Standards

To make a difference for patients, we lead the way in quality and regulatory compliance.

Scalability & Flexibility

Disparity in volumes, temperatures and timelines calls for agility.

Dedicated Pharmaceutical Expertise

Three decades of delivering innovative solutions to the sector.

Specialty Pharma Logistics for a New Age of Advanced Treatments


With over 580 Life Sciences & Healthcare operations globally and more than 11,000 LSH-certified specialists, we deliver an array of solutions that improve health outcomes for patients, via a global network and local expertise that ensures wide access to healthcare. Tailored to the specific needs of our customers, we treat specialty pharmaceuticals with the care that patients depend on.

Our Innovative and Modular Approach

New advanced treatments need new supply chain solutions. Our innovative approach and our sector expertise means we can provide logistics solutions for the increasingly colder, smaller, complex or more personalized supply chains of the industry. While our modular, agile approach enables us to adapt our services as necessary to meet the needs of our customer.

Cold Chain Storage and Distribution

The nature of specialty pharma treatments means that temperature regimes must be rigorously maintained to ensure their integrity and efficacy. Our carefully calibrated, continually monitored temperature-controlled conditions cover the whole temperature range from controlled or ambient, to frozen or deep frozen, using dry ice or cryogenics.

White Glove Services

We provide advanced pharmaceutical solutions that ensure the safe handling, transport, and delivery of high-value, temperature-sensitive treatments. With personalized, end-to-end care and real-time tracking, we ensure product integrity, maintain compliance with regulatory standards, and safeguard patient health by delivering the product on time and in perfect condition.

Packaging & Pre-Conditioning

DHL offers a broad portfolio of options for packaging and data loggers, designed to protect the efficacy and integrity of specialty pharma products, both in storage and transit. Our robust, temperature-controlled packaging solutions safeguard specialty pharmaceuticals from damage or deviations and include pre-conditioning of chilled, frozen or nitrogen shipments. 

Real-Time Tracking & Condition Monitoring

Our investment in the latest sensor and tracking technology reflects the crucial role that treatments play in improving the lives of patients. We provide real-time visibility of all our specialty pharma shipments, from origin to delivery. With the assurance of data security, this ensures product integrity, compliance, and timely arrival.

Regulatory Compliance & Quality Management

We offer a fully compliant, high service-level solution, for all biopharma and specialty pharma products. Complying with all international and in-country regulations and requirements for the sector, we have achieved GXP certification in more than 250 locations globally. Our mature quality management system, deeply embedded into our organizational culture, forms the basis of our quality processes.

Value-Added Services

As part of our end-to-end solution, we deliver value-added services for specialty pharma companies - including Contract Manufacturing Organizations (CMOs) - that include serialization, labelling, packing, and kitting. These services ensure that products have the correct specification for their market and enable postponement or late customization.

Clinical Supply Chain Management

With our extensive sector expertise, we can consolidate an entire clinical supply chain for complete visibility and continuous efficiency gains. We maintain the integrity of IMP through carefully calibrated, continually monitored, temperature-controlled storage and distribution. Our practical solutions ensure the safe, compliant transportation of biological samples from patients to laboratories and elsewhere. For more information, see our page on Clinical Trials solutions.

Logistics Solutions for Clinical Trials


DHL Life Sciences and Healthcare offers a comprehensive portfolio of solutions for clinical trials designed to support all aspects of clinical research, from IMP storage and distribution to management of return flows and samples, including a special focus on the rapidly growing biopharma sector.

Connect with our Specialty Pharma Team


Want to learn more? Connect with our Specialty Pharma team and find out more about how our bespoke, fully compliant solutions could benefit your organization and the lives of the patients you serve.