Life Sciences Logistics

Logistics built for the patient’s timeline.

RK Life Sciences Logistics moves the molecules that gate clinical outcomes — finished drug product, biologics, vaccines, cell & gene therapies, clinical trial supply, medical devices — across a GDP-compliant cold chain, on a DSCSA-aware platform, with the audit trail your QA team can stand behind. One operation. One quality system. One platform of record.

Why this exists

A life-sciences supply chain is judged by its worst day — not its average one.

Cold-chain excursions, DSCSA serialization gaps, customs holds on cell & gene shipments, and clinical-trial site delays don’t just damage product — they damage patient outcomes and trial timelines. Generic 3PL is the wrong answer. A purpose-built GxP operating discipline, integrated with our specialty pharmacy portfolio (MintRX), is the right one.

$35B
Annual cost of pharmaceutical cold-chain failures globally — product loss, recalls, and trial delays. Most are preventable with the right operating discipline.
2–8°C
The baseline. RK runs four certified temperature zones: 15–25°C controlled-ambient, 2–8°C, –20°C frozen, and –80°C ultra-cold — plus LN₂ cryogenic via vetted carrier network.
Nov 272024
DSCSA enforcement of full electronic interoperable track-and-trace went live. RK’s platform is already DSCSA-aware end to end.
6
Integrated service lines — cold-chain warehousing, GDP-compliant transport, DSCSA serialization, clinical-trial supply, specialty cold-chain, project control tower.
The Service Stack

Six service lines. One quality system.

Every line is delivered under one GxP operating standard — one SOP library, one CAPA system, one validated TMS, one audit trail. Bundling is the value; QA fragmentation is the risk.

SERVICE 01

GDP-compliant cold-chain warehousing

Validated multi-zone storage for finished drug product, biologics, vaccines, diagnostics, and specialty therapeutics. Built around the WHO and EU GDP framework and aligned with US 21 CFR Part 211 and DEA controlled-substance handling where applicable.

  • Validated 15–25°C controlled-ambient, 2–8°C, –20°C, and –80°C zones
  • Mapped temperature uniformity, continuous monitoring, alarm escalation 24/7
  • DEA-licensed cages for Schedule II–V controlled substances (via MintRX network)
  • Bonded storage for imported drug product pending FDA / customs release
  • SOP library + CAPA system + change-control workflow audit-ready
  • Annual self-inspection program plus prep for FDA, DEA, and customer audits
SERVICE 02

Validated cold-chain transport

Temperature-controlled trucking, air, and ocean lanes operated against qualified packaging, monitored loggers, and a stability-budget framework that protects product integrity from origin dock to patient-side delivery.

  • Validated lanes with packaging stability budgets per SKU
  • Active reefer trailers + passive PCM and dry-ice shippers
  • Real-time temperature + GPS loggers with sub-15-minute alert SLAs
  • Excursion management protocol with documented impact assessment
  • Specialty courier network for biologics, vaccines, and clinical samples
  • Same-platform customs brokerage for cross-border life-sciences lanes
SERVICE 03

DSCSA serialization & track-and-trace

Full electronic interoperable EPCIS-based exchange of transaction information across the supply chain — the regulatory backbone the FDA enforced fully on November 27, 2024. RK ingests, persists, and forwards serialized data without breaking the chain.

  • EPCIS 1.2 inbound/outbound across manufacturers, distributors, and dispensers
  • GS1 SGTIN, SSCC, and aggregation-hierarchy handling at the case and pallet level
  • Authorized Trading Partner (ATP) verification at receipt and shipping
  • Suspect / illegitimate product investigation workflow + FDA Form 3911 readiness
  • Saleable-returns verification per VRS standard
  • Audit-ready data retention — six years per DSCSA requirement
SERVICE 04

Clinical trial supply & depot services

Investigational product (IP) storage, site kitting, blinded labeling, and direct-to-site distribution coordinated with sponsor IRT systems and the protocol’s randomization plan. Returns and destruction handled within the same audit envelope.

  • Investigational product receipt, storage, and release per sponsor SOPs
  • Site kitting and blinded labeling with IRT/RTSM integration
  • Direct-to-patient and direct-to-site distribution lanes
  • Returns reconciliation, controlled-destruction coordination
  • Comparator and ancillary-supply sourcing where required
  • Country-specific regulatory documentation for global trials
SERVICE 05

Specialty & cell & gene therapy logistics

For autologous CAR-T, allogeneic cell therapies, gene therapies, and rare-disease therapeutics where every shipment is a single patient’s treatment window — a different operating tempo than commercial-scale pharma. We pair MintRX patient-direct expertise with chain-of-custody discipline borrowed from our white-glove GPU work.

  • LN₂ (cryogenic) vapor-shipper coordination via vetted specialty couriers
  • Chain-of-identity / chain-of-custody at the patient ID level
  • Apheresis-to-manufacturing-to-infusion-center scheduling visibility
  • Patient-direct cold-chain dispensing via MintRX specialty pharmacy
  • Limited-distribution-drug (LDD) channel readiness
  • Hub services coordination — copay, PA support, adherence triggers
SERVICE 06

RK Command — life-sciences control tower

A customer-facing visibility and coordination layer tuned to GxP. Real-time temperature, location, and chain-of-custody, plus predictive alerts on excursion risk, DSCSA exceptions, and at-risk clinical-trial site deliveries.

  • Built on CargoWise — RK’s validated TMS / customs platform
  • WMS integration for bin-level cold-room visibility
  • EPCIS data lake for serialization & aggregation traceability
  • Predictive excursion alerts — 4–24 hours before a stability breach
  • DSCSA exception dashboard surfaced to QA in real time
  • Mobile-first portal for the trial monitor or QA lead in the field
The Compliance Reality

Four pressure points reshaping life-sciences logistics in 2026.

01
DSCSA enforcement is now real

After multiple delays, the FDA’s Drug Supply Chain Security Act reached full electronic interoperable enforcement on November 27, 2024. Wholesalers and dispensers can no longer accept saleable returns — or unverified inbound — without a clean EPCIS chain. Every gap is a stockout risk and an audit liability. RK’s platform is DSCSA-aware end to end and was built for this regime, not retrofitted to it.

02
The cold-chain bar keeps rising

Roughly 60% of US prescription approvals now require active temperature control, and a growing share require ultra-cold (–80°C) or cryogenic (LN₂) handling. Cold-chain excursions cost the industry north of $35B per year in product loss, recalls, and trial delays — most of them preventable with validated packaging, continuous monitoring, and pre-defined excursion protocols. RK runs to that standard by default.

03
Cell & gene therapy is its own logistics discipline

An autologous CAR-T shipment isn’t a freight bill — it’s one patient’s only dose. Apheresis collection in Houston, manufacturing in New Jersey, infusion-center delivery in Phoenix, cryogenic preservation throughout, chain-of-identity verified at every hop. RK runs this as a project, with the same discipline we apply to white-glove AI servers — but on a GxP quality system.

04
Specialty pharmacy is moving upstream

Patient-direct dispensing models — limited-distribution drug channels, hub services, copay and prior-auth workflows — are pulling specialty pharmacy operations directly into the manufacturer’s commercial plan. RK is uniquely positioned via MintRX, our specialty pharmacy operation, to deliver cold-chain logistics and patient-direct dispensing as one continuous service line.

Customer Profiles

Built for the teams who actually move the molecules.

We work with pharmaceutical manufacturers, CDMOs, biotech innovators, clinical research organizations, and the wholesalers and specialty pharmacies they ship through — bringing GxP logistics discipline to portfolios that range from generic tablets to autologous cell therapies.

CUSTOMER 01

Pharmaceutical manufacturers

Commercial-scale finished-goods distribution, controlled-substance handling, and DSCSA-compliant serialized lanes — coordinated with your wholesaler partners and 340B channels under one operating standard.

CUSTOMER 02

CDMOs & biotech innovators

From early clinical supply through commercial launch — storage, kitting, distribution, and cold-chain validation that scale with your portfolio. RK runs in weeks, not quarters, when your launch window slips earlier.

CUSTOMER 03

Clinical research organizations

IP storage, site kitting, blinded labeling, direct-to-site and direct-to-patient distribution, returns and destruction — all coordinated with your IRT/RTSM and sponsor QA system inside one audit envelope.

CUSTOMER 04

Specialty & cell & gene therapy companies

Cryogenic shipping, chain-of-identity discipline, hub-services integration, and patient-direct dispensing via the MintRX network. RK runs the operation; you protect the patient timeline.

Geographic Footprint

Where the molecules move — and where RK shows up.

Active life-sciences operations across the highest-density pharma corridors in North America, anchored by RK warehouse capacity, the MintRX specialty pharmacy network, and validated cross-border lanes into Canada.

MARKET 01

New Jersey & Greater Philadelphia

The center of US pharmaceutical manufacturing. RK warehouse capability tied into the MintRX specialty network, with proximity to major pharma campuses and the FDA Mid-Atlantic district.

MARKET 02

Boston & Cambridge biotech corridor

Project-by-project deployment for early clinical-stage biotech and cell & gene therapy innovators in Kendall Square and the broader Route 128 belt.

MARKET 03

Research Triangle, NC

CDMO and gene-therapy cluster coverage from Durham through Research Triangle Park — cold-chain transport lanes into both Atlanta and Mid-Atlantic distribution hubs.

MARKET 04

SF Bay Area & South San Francisco

RK’s Fremont and Bay Area footprint extended into the SSF biotech corridor — cold-chain transport into Genentech / Vacaville and the broader Northern California biotech belt.

MARKET 05

San Diego biotech mesa

Southern California biotech and diagnostics capability. Direct lanes from San Diego to LA-area cold-chain hubs and the Port of Los Angeles for international inbound.

MARKET 06

Phoenix metro & Pinal County, AZ

Growing CDMO and specialty-pharmacy corridor. RK warehouse and last-mile capability across the Chandler / Mesa / Gilbert / Pinal County footprint.

MARKET 07

Memphis & Indianapolis air hubs

Validated air-freight lanes anchored to the FedEx Memphis SuperHub and the Indianapolis FedEx Cargo hub — the backbone of overnight specialty distribution.

MARKET 08

Toronto / GTA & cross-border Canada

Cross-border life-sciences logistics with US-Canada customs brokerage handled inside the same CargoWise platform — no handoff to a third party at the border.

RK Command

A GxP visibility platform — not a tracking screen.

Running on CargoWise, layered with an EPCIS data lake and an excursion-prediction model. Built so the QA lead reviewing audit data sees the same picture as the trial monitor watching site deliveries.

CAPABILITY 01

Real-time temperature & chain-of-custody

Continuous temperature, humidity, GPS, and chain-of-custody data unified per SKU and per lot — not per freight bill. One audit-ready record per patient’s dose.

CAPABILITY 02

Predictive excursion alerts

An AI layer trained on packaging stability budgets, weather, and lane history surfaces probable excursions 4–24 hours before they breach spec — with a recommended packaging or routing action attached.

CAPABILITY 03

DSCSA exception dashboard

EPCIS gaps, ATP failures, and suspect-product workflows surfaced to QA in real time — not discovered during the next audit. Saleable-returns verification integrated.

CAPABILITY 04

Document & audit-trail management

SOPs, batch records, certificates of analysis, deviation reports, CAPAs, and EPCIS data — one searchable record per lot, audit-ready for FDA, DEA, and customer QA.

See the broader Control Tower →
The RK Stack

One company. The whole molecule’s journey.

Most life-sciences logistics partners assemble a program through subcontractors. Coordination overhead — and quality-system gaps when things go wrong — is the result. RK runs the chain end-to-end inside one GxP operation, on one platform of record, with the MintRX specialty pharmacy network on the dispensing end.

01
Freight forwarding & customs

Ocean and air freight, US and Canadian customs brokerage, classified through the same CargoWise platform that runs the rest of the program. Drug-product imports clear customs without losing temperature visibility.

02
Validated cold-chain transport

Validated lanes with packaging stability budgets per SKU, active reefer trailers, passive PCM and dry-ice shippers, and a specialty courier network for clinical-trial and cell & gene shipments.

03
GDP warehousing & serialization

Validated multi-zone storage, DSCSA-aware EPCIS exchange, and a quality system that survives an unannounced FDA inspection. Bonded storage for imports pending release.

04
Patient-direct via MintRX

RK’s specialty pharmacy operation closes the loop — limited-distribution-drug channels, hub services, copay and prior-auth workflows, and cold-chain patient-direct dispensing inside the same audit envelope.

In life sciences, the freight bill is the smallest cost in the room. The patient’s timeline is the largest.
RK Logistics — Life Sciences Logistics Doctrine

Launching a therapy? Bring us in early.

The earlier RK is in the program — ideally before cold-chain packaging is locked — the more launch risk we can absorb. Send us your therapeutic profile and target commercial launch date. We’ll map the GxP logistics critical path and come back with a quality-systems plan.