The Bangalore based logistic firm TNT India Private Limited has come up with a new packaging technology to facilitate the despatch and safety of diagnostic specimens abroad for tests.

The company has developed innovative packaging to carry samples at ambient, refrigerated and frozen conditions to preserve an uninterrupted cold chain, thus eliminating the need for re-freezing to maintain low temperatures over a longer time-period.

Previously, customers were required to send samples only in imported packaging, which attracted 60 per cent import duty. To save costs for customers, the company has identified packaging vendors and experts within India to develop special packaging required for safe transit of bio-medical samples and has obtained IATA certification for them.

Under the new International Air Transport Association (IATA) rules, these samples will now be classified under UN3373, where dangerous goods in the infectious segment, including HIV and hepatitis B, samples can travel the same way as samples from the non-infectious ones without inspection and checking. The change in DGFT (Directorate General of Foreign Trade) rules means all that one requires to send a sample abroad is a doctor's certificate.

"`These developments have prompted us to expand Medipak, the first-of-its-kind, end-to-end biomedical shipment solution launched early this year for the biotech-pharma research market to provide simple solutions for individuals and hospitals. All we require is a doctor's certificate to send the samples,'' Sanjiv Kathuria, head-sales, marketing & customer service, TNT India told pharmabiz.com

The ease in authorisation procedures has created a niche life sciences market in international and domestic sectors, valued at Rs. 40 crore and TNT is expected to bag a 20 per cent market share in 2004.

The parent company has set up a Centre of Excellence for Asia in Singapore since many CROs were based here.

Several training programmes are held not only for its staff but also for officials from Contract Research Organisations (CROs) who are provided details about the latest packaging technologies used for moving diagnostic and clinical trail samples.

Through Medpak, TNT distributes clinical kits for CROs abroad to investigators' sites in India and then collects the kits that carry the biomedical samples kits back to the CROs. "We have currently six CROs who have a major presence in India,'' said Kathuria.

TNT India is an ISO 9001:2000 company and a wholly owned subsidiary of TPG N.V. (TPG) - one of the largest integrated distribution companies worldwide.