Lilly Pledges $1.15M toward Improving Cold Chain Capacity

Eli Lilly and Company will be financing a $1.15 million initiative that provides access to medicines in low-income countries by boosting cold chain capacity. Organized by Direct Relief, a humanitarian aid organization, the project will enable the purchase and installation of 150 medical-grade refrigeration units at 25 Life for a Child partner facilities in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia. The effort will span 17 countries across these regions.

Cold chain—the transportation and storage of temperature-controlled medications—is a component of medical logistics, as the global pharmaceutical industry shifts toward the production of biologics and other temperature-sensitive molecules. Lilly's support of Direct Relief's cold chain initiative is part of Lilly 30x30, a program that aims to improve access and address barriers to quality healthcare for 30 million people living in limited-resource settings annually, by 2030.

"We appreciate Direct Relief's extensive expertise in logistics and end-to-end supply chain management, and know this effort will make a substantial difference in providing patients around the world with medicines they need to address serious health issues like diabetes," says Leigh Ann Pusey, EVP, corporate affairs and communications for Lilly. "Efforts to expand access to medicines, especially insulin, are only beneficial when effective cold chain systems are in place to keep them at the right temperature on their way to patients."

Read more about the project here.