About
Time and temperature sensitive pharmaceutical products, such as vaccines, medicines, and other healthcare products require specific handling, monitoring, process controls, transportation and storage requirements. Through this e-learning course, you will understand these commodity specifics, as well as the requirements for packaging, documentation and physical handling. Learn about product and transport process temperature ranges, packaging technologies, key risk factors and critical control points in the Pharma handling process, particularly in relation to the transportation of COVID-19 vaccines.
“Safely delivering Covid-19 vaccines will be the mission of the century for the global air cargo industry.” IATA’s director general and CEO, Alexandre de Juniac.
Course format
This course requires approximately 1.5 hours of study.
Student performance will be based on an examination. Please refer to the Exam Information below for more details.
What you will learn
Upon completing this course you will have the skills to:
- Recognize differences in pharmaceutical products and their main characteristics.
- Recognize pharmaceutical product packaging types, transport equipment and active/passive shipping systems.
- Discuss regulatory requirements for handling and transporting time and temperature sensitive pharmaceutical products.
- Describe air freight supply chain stakeholders, roles and responsibilities and important process milestones.
- Manage requirements for documentary and physical handling of pharma shipments in air freight.
Course content
- Commodity types and characteristics
- Product and distribution temperature requirements
- Product packaging
- Pharma regulations and air freight
- Air freight shipment documentation and labelling for TTSPPs
- Storage handling procedures for pharma
- Handling process and Critical Control Points
- Shipment track and trace
Who should attend
This course is recommended for:
- Cargo agents
- Freight forwarders
- All staff involved in the transport and handling of pharmaceutical products
- Airline staff and shippers transporting time and temperature sensitive healthcare products
- Primary producers or manufacturers of pharmaceutical and healthcare goods
Demo

IATA Certificate awarded:
Upon successful completion of the exam, you will be awarded an IATA e-Certificate available for you to print for your records.
This Certificate is only valid for 36 months.

Exam information
Please read the General Information on Self-study exams.
- Exam Delivery Method: Non-supervised online-based exam, can be taken any time at your convenience.
- Format: Multiple Choice questions.
- Number of questions: 14.
- Time Allowance: 45 minutes.
- Passing Grade: 80% correct answers.
- Number of exam attempts: 2.