Taking Fridge injections to Australia

[Whezziewhoozie]

I know traveling with medicines has been well covered and I am searching through past posts. But just wondered if anyone had an experience of taking their biologic all the way to Australia. It needs to be kept in the fridge. So will have to survive flying for like 28 hours. Thanks

[Hannah-NRAS]

Hi Whezziewhoozie,

Check out this article from one of NRAS' previous employees who was with us all the way from the land of Aus! nras.org.uk/resource/top-10...

She talks about using zip-lock sandwich bags to put ice in to help transport your medications and keep them cool. Many flights won't allow you to put the medications in the fridge but will have ice for drinks so this can be a good compromise.

It can also be worthwhile reaching out to the airline you are flying with to see if there is any way they can assist.

I hope you find this information useful and wish you all the best. Should you require any additional information or support please contact our helpline on 0800 298 7650 (Mon-Fri, 9.30am-4.30pm) or email us at [e-mail]

Kind regards,

Hannah

NRAS Information and Support Coordinator

[Whezziewhoozie in reply to Hannah-NRAS]

thanks Hannah, I had read this. I was more hoping for which cool bag someone recommends

[AgedCrone in reply to Hannah-NRAS]

As I have mentioned before…NEVER put anything you want to see again in an aircraft fridge …especially if there is a stop before you get off.Aircraft fridges are often loaded full of food for the next sector& offloaded at the next stop.

[Pythagorus]

I don’t know how long you are going for but Benepali can be kept out of the fridge for up to 28 days. Enjoy your trip🙂

[Whezziewhoozie in reply to Pythagorus]

thanks, annoyingly I have just changed to Tocilizumab. I was on embrel!

[KittyJ]

I’d give the people who supply your injections a call and get their recommendations as you don’t mention which biologic you’re taking and storage differs for each.

[Wannabeabago]

Hey, what airline are you flying? I’d be contacting them and asking them about a small portable cooler bag and if they can freeze extra cooler blocks if you carry them?

[Shelby37]

Hi Whezziewhoozie.I travelled to the USA in the summer and needed to keep my injections cool. I used a Frio Duo wallet for meds I needed to keep below 20° (once out of the fridge they were okay for 4 weeks). These are a brilliant British invention and work with just tap water. Very reasonable to buy too from places like Lloyds chemist. I also used a Nomad Travel Case Medium with LED temperature Display. I took spare iceblocks with me. That kept my meds at around 2-4° for 24hours so they could go into a fridge when I arrived.

[Whezziewhoozie in reply to Shelby37]

thanks Shelby I will have a look at Nomad. Do you think it would last any longer than 24 hours?

[Shelby37 in reply to Whezziewhoozie]

I don't know. You could experiment with a normal cool bag/box and swapping iceblocks. I liked the temperature probe on the nomad. You can easily buy your own temperature probe and test your chosen method before you go. However like others have said you could also ask your medication supplier. Mine were great and also gave me the letter to ensure I had no hassle getting through customs.

[Whezziewhoozie in reply to Shelby37]

Thanks, I do like the look of it. my medicine supplier has said they dont know .... so back to square one on that one

[Scottishlad]

The first step is to check the exact storage conditions for your medication. As already noted some can used for up 28 days if kept below 20 C. Others are fridge only up to the point of use.

Frio is useful for those with extended times below 20 C.

Medactiv produce a range medical cool bags I have one but haven't really needed it since the Cimzia storage conditions have relaxed to 10 days at 20C.

Speak to you the people who supply your medication, they may be able to help.

[Silverpixie]

Try 4 all family. They do usb flasks and ship to the uk. Very expensive. However, if, like me you need to keep your injections between 2 and 8 degrees probably worth it. I have a medigenix bag which is fine for shorter journeys in Europe but was over 8 degrees on a delayed flight to Japan. They are an American company. Next time I do long haul I'm going to get one. They were very helpful on email and advised the appropriate flask for my medication. Let me know how you get on.

[Mostmoses]

I have flown as long as 28 hours with Cimzia. I use the medical-grade ice packs that come with the drug from the pharmacy; they stay frozen in a foil cooler for as long as 36 hours.

[Whezziewhoozie in reply to Mostmoses]

hi, did you have to request the ice packs or do they just come with the medicine? I don’t get anything with mine!

[Mostmoses]

They come with mine (it’s delivered in a cooler), but I’m sure you could request some. They last massively longer than plain ice.

[helixhelix]

i have a Pfizer Medicool bag that comes with 5 gel blocks. It has kept my injections below 8 degrees for 4 days.

[Whezziewhoozie in reply to helixhelix]

this sounds like it could work.

I just googled it but couldn’t find. Do you have any more info?

[helixhelix in reply to Whezziewhoozie]

i can’t find it either! Maybe Pfizer have gone on to other things 🤣

this is the closest I coukd find.

amazon.de/-/en/MedActiv-Med...