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Pharmacy & Pharmacology vocabulary · Dispensing and Counselling

Cold chain

Meaning in pharmacy & pharmacology, with examples

nounCommon term

In pharmacy & pharmacology, cold chain means: The system of keeping temperature-sensitive medicines, such as vaccines and insulin, within a set range, usually 2–8 °C, all the way from manufacture to the patient.

In Turkish: soğuk zincir

How it is used

Pharmacies keep cold-chain products in a dedicated pharmaceutical fridge and record its minimum and maximum temperatures every day. A cold-chain breach or temperature excursion must be reported, and the affected stock assessed before use. Patients are told to carry these items in a cool bag.

Example sentences

  1. The fridge failed overnight, so we may have a cold chain breach for the vaccines.

  2. Insulin pens that are not yet in use must stay in the cold chain.

Common collocations

  • maintain the cold chain
  • cold-chain breach
  • cold-chain product
  • pharmaceutical fridge
  • expiry dateThe date printed on a medicine pack after which the manufacturer no longer guarantees that the product is fully effective and safe to use.
  • GMPShort for good manufacturing practice: the rules and quality systems that make sure medicines are produced and controlled consistently to the right quality standards.
  • dispenseTo prepare and supply a medicine to a patient against a prescription, usually after checking it, labelling it and explaining how to use it.
  • injectionA way of giving a medicine with a needle and syringe or a pen device into a vein, a muscle or the tissue under the skin; also the liquid medicine itself.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Dispensing and Counselling

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.