Biocitech, September 4, 2012 – OCT Sante, which is specialized in the transportation of biological and pharmaceutical products, announces that its Thermo Box system, comprising innovative thermal packaging models designed by the company for the transport of category B biological materials, has received the official certification of the French National Metrology and Testing Laboratory (LNE - Laboratoire National de Metrologie et d’Essai). In April, OCT Sante was granted the most recent ISO 9001 certification, version 2008, which covers the company’s health products transportation activities and its logistical services.
These two seals of approval strengthen OCT Sante’s position on the biologicals transportation market, currently undergoing a phase of rapid expansion.
Biological materials are classified into two categories, A and B.
• Category A (ONU2814) is a substance that can cause permanent invalidity or a potentially fatal disease if the substance escapes its packaging and comes into contact with a human or an animal.
• Category B concerns infectious substances not in category A. They are split into two types: ONU 3291 is biological waste that has to undergo decontamination and ONU 3372 biological substances.
The Thermo Box cool packs developed by OCT Sante make it possible to transport biological products in controlled temperatures in two sizes – eight liters and sixteen liters. They include an internal insulated lining in expanded polystyrene and an external layer of packaging in hydrophobic cardboard. The internal lining includes pockets for inserting and lodging eutectic plates (cold blocks), as well as for the temperature recorder. On the lid, a pre-cut opening enables a temperature recorder to be installed, with a probe immersed in carbonic ice.
These packs comply with ADR (European agreement on the international transportation of dangerous goods by road) and IATA dangerous goods regulations.
“We subjected these packs to impact and temperature tests and in the end we found that both the elements examined behaved well,” said the head of the LNE’s climate mechanics department, Laurent Buguet. “We didn’t observe any aesthetic or structural alteration on completion of the tests.”
“Obtaining the ISO 9001 certification for our innovative thermal packaging is a guarantee of quality and reliability for our clients,” said the chairman of OCT Sante, Mohamed Osmani. “In addition, our staff receives regular transport-specific training.”
“OCT Sante is a discreet but essential link in the drug development chain, from research to production,” noted the president of Biocitech, Jean-François Boussard. “Securing LNE and ISO certification highlights the importance of innovation for all players in the biotechnology sector and enhances OCT Sante’s quality image in the eyes of its clients. OCT Sante has broadened the range of specialist services provided by our resident firms and strengthens the potential for synergies among residents of the park. Our location at the heart of a dense communications network is also an asset for this specialized logistics company. We congratulate them for having secured these certifications.”
About OCT Sante
OCT Sante (Office de Coordination des Transports de Sante) is a company specialized in the transport of biological products and pharmaceuticals at managed, controlled temperatures. OCT Sante delivers its clients’ samples and health products overland 24/7.
For further information, go to: http://www.octsante.com
About Biocitech
Biocitech is a technology park devoted to life sciences and the environment that offers resident companies on-site support from inception to maturity. It provides a range of services that are specifically designed for firms in the sectors of biotechnology, biopharmaceuticals, fine chemicals, medical and in vitro diagnostics and medical devices.
Biocitech is the only science and technology park in the Paris area that is ICPE certified, which provides entrepreneurs with secure premises of a high technological standard that are perfectly adapted to their development, together with a comprehensive and flexible range of services that include technical buildings, multi-technical services and support services. This gives firms the benefit of specialized resources that cost less because they are pooled. Biocitech is located close to Raymond Queneau railway station, only 20 minutes from Charles de Gaulle airport.
The park is market-oriented and the great majority of its residents generate revenues from the sale of products or services. Furthermore, the firms installed at Biocitech complement one another, which generates strong synergies and has engendered numerous collaborations.
Along with other organizations in the Paris area, Biocitech is a key element in the Medicen Paris Region network, the greater Paris region’s world-class competitiveness hub for health and new therapies.
For further information, go to: http://www.biocitech.com
Mark Tidmarsh
ANDREW LLOYD & ASSOCIATES
http://www.ala.com
mark@ala.com
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