DHL upgrades next-day Medical Express service for Latin America

International shipper DHL Express has grown its next-day delivery capabilities by adding a Brazil-to-U.S. lane to its Medical Express service.

According to a news release emailed to FreightWaves by DHL, this new connection links South America and Puerto Rico to the U.S., with the goal of expediting deliveries to customers in pharmaceutical and clinical research sectors.

“With its Medical Express service, DHL Express expertly manages the export and regulatory requirements for urgent shipments that necessitate specific temperature controls,” the Thursday release stated.

The service will help speed up transportation of samples from Puerto Rico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru to central U.S. destination labs in less than 30 hours from the time of patient draw. It offers dry ice supply and temperature-controlled packaging fulfillment and online tools for placing bookings and ordering supplies.

Additionally, DHL’s network in Brazil has been upgraded with a specialized customer service center staffed with bilingual representatives.

“Given the complexities of export processes, tax payments, and ANVISA (Brazil’s health regulatory agency) approvals necessary in Brazil, our integrated system allows DHL to initiate export approvals before samples arrive at our facilities,” said Brian Bralynski, senior director of life sciences and healthcare at DHL Express Americas, in the release. “This enables DHL to extend later collection times for investigator sites, allowing more time to schedule patient visits while still exporting on the day of collection.”

The release stated that since 2023, DHL-operated aircraft have departed Miami to its hub at the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky International Airport in the morning instead of the evening. This has allowed 65% of ambient patient samples to now arrive at central U.S. labs for testing one day sooner.

“DHL Medical Express addresses a critical industry need for specialized services in the pharmaceutical and clinical research sectors,” said Andrew Williams, CEO of DHL Express Americas, in the release. “It’s a highly effective solution due to our robust international network and deep understanding of the regulatory requirements involved in the import and export of pharmaceuticals, test kits, and diagnostic specimens.”

The news comes after DHL Group announced plans this month to invest over $2 billion to enhance its capabilities in the life science and health care logistics sector by 2030.

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