Zuellig Pharma, one of the largest healthcare services groups in Asia, has entered into an agreement with global biopharma company, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), to help set up its first vaccine distribution hub in the region. The vaccine distribution hub will be headquartered in Singapore, serving 13 markets in Asia-Pacific (APAC).

Under the partnership, Zuellig Pharma Singapore will provide GSK with warehousing and distribution services in cold-chain management for its vaccines. The vaccine hub will also leverage Zuellig Pharma's expertise in blockchain technology for China, one of GSK's largest APAC markets. The use of eZTracker, Zuellig Pharma's end-to-end blockchain solution, will enhance the resiliency of GSK's supply chain to enable greater traceability of its vaccines. This allows for better product visibility to address the growing challenge of counterfeit healthcare products in Asia.

The vaccine distribution hub will adopt a sea transport model to reduce its supply chain carbon footprint, resulting in reduced transportation carbon emissions by at least 30%, compared to air transport. All vaccines will also be under vigorous temperature control to safeguard their integrity and quality.

GSK's vaccines portfolio is the broadest in the biopharma industry, helping protect people from diseases such as meningitis, shingles, flu, polio, measles and many more. Two million of the company's vaccines are administered every day, including to 40% of the world's children who receive a GSK vaccine each year.