Logistics service provider Rhenus Air & Ocean, which opened an agency in Reunion on January 1st, obtained CEIV Pharma certification from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which authorizes it to transport pharmaceutical products, for four of its metropolitan agencies specializing in overseas transport commission.
The IATA CEIV Pharma certification (Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics) ensures that Rhenus meets compliance requirements for handling pharmaceutical products, such as good distribution practices (GDP) of the European Union, World Health Organization pharmacopoeia standards and IATA temperature control regulations.
It covers operations such as the handling and transport of pharmaceutical products, staff skills, the procedures, risk assessment and infrastructure. “This certification demonstrates the company’s commitment to providing quality service and reliable management of pharmaceutical shipments. Obtaining certification was made possible thanks to the involvement of all Rhenus teams, but also by the level of commitment and expertise of the company”, said Robert Chad, Area Manager France, Belgium, Netherlands and Southern Europe at IATA.
A global network under construction
CEIV Pharma certification concerns Rhenus Air agencies & Ocean de Lyon, Paris (Roissy CDG), Rouen and Strasbourg. It has already been obtained by Air agencies & Ocean de Rhenus from Amsterdam Schiphol in the Netherlands and Istanbul Airport in Türkiye. A global network is thus being built. It allows Rhenus to fully meet the regulatory requirements of the pharmaceutical industry, setting the highest standards in terms of service, quality, product integrity and patient safety. “IATA CEIV Pharma certification represents an important step in the professionalization of our international transportation services for shippers in the life sciences and healthcare sectors”, argues Christophe Barreau, president of Rhenus Air & Ocean France. In France, Rhenus now has six agencies specializing in air transport commissioning, maritime et multimodal : Lyon, Marseille, Paris, Rouen and Strasbourg in mainland France and the Réunion agency which has just joined the network at the start of 2023.
