PR84773

BENGALURU, India, July 14, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--

  -- With an anticipated surge in the need for vaccine storage in preparation

     for COVID-19 vaccination release, World Health Organization accredited

     testing will help refrigeration OEMs ensure refrigeration reliability and

     temperature consistency impacting overall vaccine efficacy.

UL, a leading global safety science company, has announced that its

Refrigeration Laboratory in Gurugram, India, has received World Health

Organization (WHO) accreditation as a designated third-party testing laboratory

for refrigeration equipment used for the storage of vaccines. This includes

cold rooms, freezer rooms, solar-powered refrigerators and freezers,

coolant-packs and related equipment. In addition, the WHO accreditation allows

UL to carry out full quality assurance testing - on-site installation and

commissioning - of cold room, freezer room and related equipment and coolants.  

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The accreditation for UL is part of WHO's Performance, Quality and Safety (PQS)

process. PQS prequalifies products and devices in order that WHO member states

and United Nations purchasing agencies help assure of their suitability for use

in immunization programs. Before a product or device can be added to the PQS

database, it must be tested. Verification testing establishes whether a

specific product from a specific manufacturer satisfies the requirements of

relevant PQS performance specification. With WHO accreditation, UL will now be

carrying out these tests to verify performance, quality and safety. UL received

the PQS accreditation for refrigeration equipment and devices after

demonstrating to WHO officials the UL Refrigeration Laboratory's conformity

capabilities to appropriate internationally or nationally accepted standards or

codes of practice.

The UL accreditation comes at a time when researchers around the world are

addressing the development of a COVID-19 vaccine. Producing and deploying

enough immunizations to end the pandemic will be one of the biggest medical

manufacturing efforts in history. To accomplish this, pharmaceutical companies,

suppliers, governments and nonprofit organizations are busy readying the supply

chain to handle a high number of needed COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccine supply

chain involves not only manufacturing the vaccine contents, but also

temperature-controlled storage to maintain vaccine quality from production to

patient. Failing to keep vaccinations at the correct temperatures, including

those used for immunization programs against children's diseases, can result in

textural degradation, discoloring, bruising and microbial growth.

Todd Denison, vice president and general manager of UL's Appliances, HVAC and

Lighting Division said, "As billions worldwide eagerly await a COVID-19

vaccine, government agencies, pharmaceutical companies and healthcare

organizations globally will be scaling up vaccine cold chain capabilities.  

Maintaining large quantities in an environment that preserves vaccination

efficacy and provides patients with intended benefit will be key to eradicating

COVID-19 spread. UL is honored to be recognized by the World Health

Organization as one of its accredited laboratories and play a key part in the

overall protection of public health globally."

With the WHO accreditation, UL will also test solar-powered refrigeration

equipment based on new WHO product standards. Solar-powered refrigeration

equipment is seen as critical for vaccine effectiveness in developing countries

without a reliable electricity grid.

"The World Health Organization's approach to refrigeration products

prequalification means that selected equipment and devices have meet specific

performance, quality and safety standards that are appropriate for field

conditions as well as cradle-to-grave safety characteristics to help ensure no

harm is caused to users, patients or the environment during a product's life

cycle," said Suresh Sugavanam, vice president and managing director of UL for

South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. "UL's accreditation helps ensure products

met these specifications while also strengthening the reliability of the

world's immunization storage infrastructure."  

About UL

UL helps create a better world by applying science to solve safety, security

and sustainability challenges. We empower trust by enabling the safe adoption

of innovative new products and technologies. Everyone at UL shares a passion to

make the world a safer place. All of our work, from independent research and

standards development, to testing and certification, to providing analytical

and digital solutions, helps improve global well-being. Businesses, industries,

governments, regulatory authorities and the public put their trust in us so

they can make smarter decisions. To learn more, visit: https://UL.com. To learn

more about our nonprofit activities, visit: https://UL.org.

Press Contact:  

Poornima Chandrashekaraiah

Regional Marketing - South Asia

UL  

T: +91-80-4138-4400 ext. 64588

E: poornima.chandrashekaraiah@ul.com  

Steven Brewster  

UL  

E: steven.brewster@ul.com  

SOURCE: UL