PLUSS to help Dr Reddy’s keep Sputnik V in -18℃ with Celsure box

July 13, 2021: Pluss Advanced Technologies (PLUSS) will supply its Celsure COVID SURAKSHA box to Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, for optimal temp-controlled transport and storage for the Sputnik V vaccine, in India.

PLUSS’ patented Celsure box with phase change material (PCM) technology will control and maintain the temperature, currently, -18 degree Celsius, required to ensure the efficacy of the Sputnik V vaccine.

“The partnership entails turn-key engagement with PLUSS for Celsure packaging. In this effort, PLUSS provides a pre-conditioned Celsure box right at Dr Reddy’s warehouse to be readily used for Sputnik V packing. A separate specialized conditioning centre has been set up locally in Hyderabad with a fleet of rapid PCM recharging stations and mechanisms built for track and trace. This model meets the highest standard of cold-chain supply management and is highly scalable to meet the country’s demand of vaccine doses in a short period of time,” reads the release.

The Celsure COVID SURAKSHA box can maintain inside temperature passively, without electricity, at desired levels for more than 100 hours and serve as an energy-efficient and safer alternative to refrigerated containers, conventional ice-packs or even dry ice, which are considered hazardous, unsustainable and unsafe for carrying in airlines.

Dr Reddy’s initiated a limited pilot soft launch of the Sputnik V vaccine in Hyderabad on May 14. The ongoing pilot has been scaled up to over 27 cities across India ahead of the commercial launch.

Samit Jain, CEO, PLUSS said, “It is a privilege to be a part of Dr Reddy’s effort to provide the Sputnik V vaccine to the widest number of people and assist with the national Covid vaccination drive. In order to meet the demand, we have added to our manufacturing capacity and will continue work towards ensuring the vaccine reaches safely to its destination.”

Besides Sputnik V, Celsure is also available in variants that offer precise freeze-free 2 to 8 degree Celsius addressing use cases both at first and the last mile for carrying freeze sensitive vaccines. The use of traditional ice packs kept the vaccines exposed to the risk of freezing, one of the highest contributors to global vaccine wastage.

The Celsure box can also be customized to maintain inside temperatures in over 40 different ranges, from -77 to +89 degree Celsius, for a time ranging from a few hours to a few days. This allows maintenance of the integrity of pharmaceutical products, including vaccines, during transit, dispensing the need of electricity or fuel-powered cold rooms, refrigerated trailer trucks or refrigerators at vaccination sites.