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Sartorius and va-Q-tec announce a long-term partnership for the joint development of innovative transport systems for the biopharmaceutical industry

PRESS RELEASE

Sartorius and va-Q-tec announce a long-term partnership for the joint development of innovative transport systems for the biopharmaceutical industry

• va-Q-tec and Sartorius are partnering to create a safer, simpler, and more sustainable TempChain-transportation system for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and bulk drug substance.
• The companies will combine their technologies to build an innovative transportation solution for international airfreight as well as intra-company shipments.
• This high-performance solution will be co-promoted globally by both companies.

Würzburg/Gottingen, 27. April 2023. va-Q-tec, a pioneer of highly efficient products and solutions in the field of thermal insulation, and Sartorius, a leading international supplier of technologies that help translate scientific discoveries into effective patient care, announced today a partnership to optimize logistics for shipping bulk drug substances (BDS). BDS are extremely temperature-sensitive and high-value goods and the partnership aims to increase efficiency and safety for BDS transportation throughout the industry. It comes after years of teamwork between Sartorius and va-Q-tec, leveraging the companies’ established position and respective expertise in the field.

Through this partnership, Sartorius’ new Celsius® single-use solutions for BDS management and va-Q-tec's high-performing thermal insulated advanced passive containers (va-Q-tainers) are combined. This solution will provide the biopharmaceutical industry with a complete joint platform for the protection of hundred liters of frozen BDS shipments from outside temperatures, as well as mechanical and thermal stresses.

The solution features advanced insulation and phase change material, removing the need to use hazardous dry ice. It lowers the carbon emissions during transport and helps to make the temperature-controlled supply chain more climate-friendly. Thousands of va-Q-tainers are in operation worldwide through an international network of service centers that maintain and prepare each unit for the next shipment after deployment. Combined with Sartorius’ global supply chain, this network will make solutions and services easily accessible to customers worldwide. By avoiding overseas return trips between shipments, the network will also help streamline BDS transportation.

"High-quality products and processes in the pharmaceutical industry require the dedicated development work of proven experts, especially in the API logistics segment," says Dr. Joachim Kuhn, CEO and founder of va-Q-tec. "We have gained a proven partner in Sartorius, with whom we will jointly set a targeted course to optimize transports and establish excellent processes as the standard."

"An increasing amount of frozen bulk drug substance is being transported worldwide. This drives the need for more reliable and sustainable cold chain solutions," says Eva Lindskog, Head of BA Fluid Management Technologies at Sartorius. "By leveraging our collaboration with va-Q-tec, Sartorius can now offer an integrated high-performance bulk drug substance transportation platform, for the benefit of customers globally."

For more information on these technologies, please visit Celsius® FFT Platform | Sartorius and va-Q-tainer | va-Q-tec.

Contact va-Q-tecPR-contactLisa SchlenkerPhone: +49 931 35942 – 2978e-Mail: Lisa.Schlenker@va-Q-tec.com IR-contactFelix RauPhone: +49 931 35942 – 2973e-Mail: Felix.Rau@va-Q-tec.com

Contact SartoriusMiriam Monge Head of Marketing – Fluid Management Technologies Phone: +33670694267e-Mail: miriam.monge@sartorius.com sartorius.com

About va-Q-tec

va-Q-tec is a pioneer of advanced solutions and services for thermal energy efficiency and temperature-controlled supply chains. The company develops, manufactures and markets thin, highly efficient vacuum insulation panels ("VIPs", "super insulation") for insulation and intelligent temperature storage elements ("PCMs") for reliable temperature control. By combining VIPs and PCMs, va-Q-tec manufactures thermal packaging systems (containers and boxes) that can maintain constant temperatures without external energy supply for up to 200 hours. In a global partner network, va-Q-tec maintains a fleet of rental containers and boxes that can be used to meet demanding thermal protection standards in logistics chains. The company is climate-neutral at all ten international locations since 2021. Permanent process optimizations and the support of valuable offset projects minimize the CO2 footprint of the solutions and services. In addition, va-Q-tec's products themselves ensure a significant increase in thermal energy efficiency and thus make a valuable contribution to climate protection. Founded in 2001, the fast-growing company is headquartered in Würzburg, Germany and employs over 650 people at 12 locations worldwide.

A profile of Sartorius

The Sartorius Group is a leading international partner of life sciences research and the biopharmaceutical industry. With innovative laboratory instruments and consumables, the Group’s Lab Products & Services division focuses on laboratories performing research and quality control at pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies as well as academic research institutes. The Bioprocess Solutions division, with its broad product portfolio focusing on single-use solutions, helps customers manufacture biotech medications and vaccines safely, rapidly and economically. The company based in Goettingen, Germany, has a strong global reach with around 60 production and sales sites worldwide. Sartorius delivers significant organic growth and regularly expands its portfolio through the acquisition of complementary technologies. In fiscal 2022, the company generated sales revenue of around 4.2 billion euros. At the end of 2022, around 16,000 employees were working for customers around the globe