We are hoping to fly to Thailand next year, just been in contact with the airline regarding keeping the interferon refrigerated. They said no, doe to Health and safety.
Any suggestions?
Will a cool bag be good enough to keep cool for possibly up to 17 hours?
Is there a small usb cool bag?
My regular cooler bag was marginal for my last long trip. I think a better cooler bag should be OK for 17 hours. I am thinking about upgrading the bag to a Yeti bag or something similar. The styrofoam shipping containers that the Besremi comes in would work but are a bit bulky for carry-on. I would definitely use two of the ice-gel packs just like they do when they ship it.
I did send a note to PharmaEssentia about this issue. have not heard back. Will reach out to them again.
Thanks for that,,, the issue is we will be travelling about 3 hours to the airport, then the wait in the airport, then a 12 hour flight, then the immigration, baggage and a fair distance from our hotel. I think door to door, with a fair wind is about 17 hours, the airline have refused to allow me to store the interferon in their fridge,,
besides a good bag with ice packs, you can ask the flight attendant for a cup of ice or 2 to keep the temp in range. I purchased this digital thermometer so I would know the temp. smile.amazon.com/Refrigerat...
My Thai husband's family is there and we used to go visit, that's over unless/till I feel better for longer stretches.
But if we do, I would use an old fashioned vacuum thermos. This one claims cold for 24 hours, and I think that's with out any cold gels/ice or the like. There are various shapes of these.
You could test it with a thermometer inside to find the best gel, ice etc to hold its proper temp, but you won't find a better way to hold the cold in since these should outlast any other compact container. They sell "ice sticks" that should fit well.
Sorry I don't have any data on this yet. A good test for over cooling is to put in an empty capped IFN syringe with water in it to confirm it doesn't freeze.
We're about to take an RV trip (longest since my Dx) and I will be using the fridge in there for my Besremi.
I agree with Hunter on the Bes shipping box, quite big but brute force effective, designed for a full day+.
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Thermos:
amazon.com/Thermos-Stainles...
I used a cool pack called CoolMeds with these chiller bags - it works really well. It will last for 12 hours easily. Just don’t be tempted to keep opening it to check them as that warms them up!
I use these too. And have never had any problems flying long distance- often in excess of 24 hrs door to door. I’ve also used the Cool Meds bag and it has an internal thermometer and lets you see what temp the bag is at. I’d recommend these packs and bag as it’s saved my worry many times as the more I’ve used it the more I’ve realised it works. And it’s just one less thing to think about when travelling.
I just flew to Barbados and door to door it was approx 15 hrs with the domestic flight, I just asked the crew on the long haul and they put it in the fridge for me, I’m sure if you ask they will help x
I’m faced with the same problem so I’ve bought ice bags. This means I’ll use a small cool bag then I can go to the cafes and replenish the ice. The plane should also have ice on board. How many jabs do you need to take with you?
Have used the CoolMeds bag has worked for me for 16 hour flights and total travel time of about 21 hours - the bag claims to maintain temp for 12-18 hours but at 21 hours temp and Peg was fine...
That’s what I use for a couple of years:
« High Cooling Performance】The insulin cooler can make the insulin keep the temperature at 36-46°F(2-8°C) for 35 hours, 35.6-77℉ (2-25℃) for 60 hours, For special reasons another emergency bottle can be filled with ice water to extend the cooling time by 14 hours, Equivalent to our insulin cooler can cool medication for up to 74 hours, Cooling effect better than insulin cooler bag »
That is a great solution. It's similar to the thermos bottle I suggested. But it comes with a well designed gel pack, see pic from an Amazon review. For the gel pak alone it could be worth the high price. (US$70 on Amazon) but otherwise a regular thermos should be ok too.
A thermos like this one is the most effective option for long cooling times because the vacuum space and reflective layers are the best possible insulation.
Here is another thermos with a built in thermometer, seems useful.
amazon.com/Temperature-Disp...
And some non-melting ice cubes as an option:
amazon.com/Reuable-Plastic-...
But the disoncare seems quite good.
hey. I bought a mini fridge looks like contigo cup. It keeps cold for at least 36 hours. You can also use it with u.s.b and it makes it Frigidaire. Bought from 4all family.
The manufacturer has just gotten back to me with the below, which I think should be helpful.
Pegasys, at the patient, can be stored for a maximum of 24h at temperatures not exceeding 25°C without compromising the quality of the product.
The length of the flight and max temperature must be taken into consideration to determine if the product is safe to be administered.
If re-refrigerated, take care not to exceed the overall 24h at 25°C max temperature budget when preparing for administration.
I live in Thailand. Issue will be the questions that arise...Most officials default answer to anything is no.I suggest that you have copies of Dr's prescription clearly indicating the medication, and the user name etc. Also take copies of your passport as they love those. Any documentation that confirms who you are and that this is a legitimate medicine will help. Knowing the cost may also help ...as they often try to tax imports. Receipts available??
I just had recent issue with DHL sending some medicines. If all else fails and they try / threaten to confiscate then stay calm and politely find a quiet room. Then ask what they "need" to solve the problem... $20 should suffice.
Use dry ice if you can get some. Much better. Dont draw attention to what you are doing, stay low profile. Good luck.
Flights
starting on Interferon
Keeping Interferon refrigerated
Interferon impact on fertility 
