AmerisourceBergen Supports Global Distribution of COVID-19 Vaccines

On Oct 6, 2021

As part of efforts to securely deliver COVID-19 vaccines to countries worldwide, AmerisourceBergen’s network of global businesses has supported the collective distribution of more than 75 million vaccines across 30-plus countries.

Since December 2020, Innomar Strategies and World Courier, both a part of AmerisourceBergen, have worked with various government agencies and supply chain partners to deliver COVID-19 vaccines across the world. During the same timeframe, Alliance Healthcare—which AmerisourceBergen acquired in June from Walgreens Boots Alliance—has supported vaccine distribution efforts across Europe. The collective distribution support spans four continents and includes a wide range of services, from third-party logistics (3PL) and importation to temperature-controlled packaging, storage, and transport.

“We are incredibly proud of the support our teams continue to provide to enable reliable access to COVID-19 vaccines around the world—from islands off Norway to remote regions in northern Canada. However, we know the global vaccination rollout is still in its early stages and a tremendous amount of work is still needed to ensure people worldwide have access to these vaccines,” said Doug Cook, EVP and President, Business Group—Global, at AmerisourceBergen. “As supply increases, we remain prepared and ready to leverage our logistical expertise and distribution capabilities to support urgent efforts to broaden access globally.”

To date, AmerisourceBergen’s distribution efforts include:

Alliance Healthcare, a leading wholesaler of healthcare products, and Alloga, its healthcare logistics provider, have distributed more than 40 million COVID-19 vaccines across Europe, including deliveries in England, Spain, France, Czech Republic and Lithuania. In collaboration with the National Health Service (NHS), Alliance Healthcare UK and Alloga UK have delivered about 25 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to nearly 1,500 sites across England. Alloga Spain, which has participated in regional and national distribution efforts, has delivered 14 million COVID-19 vaccines, while Alliance Healthcare businesses in France and Czech Republic along with Armila UAB, Alliance Healthcare’s wholesale business in Lithuania, have distributed millions of vaccines across the three countries. Team members across Europe, including Boots pharmacies in Norway, have also supported vaccine administration efforts.

Innomar Strategies, in collaboration with the Government of Canada and FedEx Express Canada, has distributed more than 22 million COVID-19 vaccines to provinces and territories across Canada. In its role, Innomar stores new shipments of COVID-19 vaccines in temperature-controlled units inside its GMP-compliant distribution center in Ontario, where teams perform the required quality assurance services, including physical inspection and identity confirmation. Teams then place the vaccines into validated cold-chain packaging solutions that protect the product integrity throughout the shipment, enabling reliable and secure distribution.

World Courier, a global logistics provider, has supported the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to more than 30 countries worldwide—from South Africa and South Korea to Germany, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Sweden. The business has deployed a wide range of services to support deliveries, including cold chain packaging, like Cocoon, and smart-monitoring tools that deliver real-time data and provide proof of shipment stability. Leveraging its global network and innovative packaging solutions, World Courier has supported last-mile deliveries to points across the globe—from areas with limited cold chain infrastructure to remote islands only accessible by boat. The business is also providing transport and storage services to support clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines and therapies.

“As a leading pharmaceutical wholesaler and logistics provider in Europe, Alliance Healthcare has been working throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to safeguard the supply chain and ensure access to critical pharmaceutical products,” said Juan Guerra, SVP and Managing Director at Alliance Healthcare. “Since the first COVID-19 vaccines became available, we’ve been able to leverage our best-in-class distribution capabilities to support reliable, secure and efficient deliveries throughout Europe.”

The ongoing distribution support is part of urgent efforts to deliver COVID-19 vaccines across the world. As of early October, about 45 percent of the world’s population had received at least one dose of a vaccine. However, only two percent of people in low-income countries have received a dose.

In addition to supporting global vaccine distribution efforts, AmerisourceBergen has worked closely with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to distribute COVID-19 therapies that have been approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). In collaboration with the U.S. government and a manufacturer partner, AmerisourceBergen also facilitated the urgent transportation of COVID-19 therapies to India in May.