DHL Express will be expanding its existing DHL Medical Express (WMX) service between Mexico and the United States. The integrated transportation solution, which DHL launched in Mexico in July 2018, facilitates the delivery of Mexico-based patient samples to U.S. central labs in less than 24 hours. This reduces transit times for these urgent temperature sensitive shipments from primary cities (beyond Mexico City) by an additional day.

DHL can provide improved transit times, in part, due to its asset-based air-network and ability to export from multiple gateways in Mexico. DHL operates direct daily flights from Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterey, linking to its regional hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), and then connecting to most U.S. cities and central lab locations the next morning and in less than 24 hours from patient draw time.
For Mexico origins, exporters of record (typically sponsors or Clinical Research Organizations / CRO’s) will administer a one-time administrative change process, in order to authorize DHL to export samples on their behalf from three export points.
The WMX service in Mexico will expand by early Q2 2019 into 17 new origin cities, including Zapopan, Toluca, Cuernavaca, Cuatla, Pachuca, Saltillo, Aguascalientes, Puebla, Celaya, San Luis Potosi, Torreon, Morelia, Leon, Guanajuato, Jalapa, Orizaba and Durango.
“Sponsor pharmaceutical companies have told us that the enhanced transit times have delivered significant improvements during prospective sample analysis, and improved testing results - particularly for Biomarkers and Flow Cytometry Assays,” says Brian Bralynski, Director Life Sciences Healthcare for DHL Express Americas. “Those types of gains are highly impactful and a direct benefit to patients requiring such treatment or sample analysis.”
“DHL Medical Express continues to meet the needs of the pharmaceutical industry and clinical research sectors with forward-thinking, intelligent healthcare solutions, while also expanding our wide range of services in Mexico,” said Mike Parra, CEO of DHL Express Americas. “At DHL, we focus on connecting healthcare stakeholders, deeply caring about the ultimate link of the chain – the patients, and to do so, we ensure we strictly comply with every regulation – global or local, and innovate in every front. A combination of responsiveness, transparency and cost-effectiveness will enable this service to be advantageous to all clinical trial stakeholders and, most importantly, clinical trials’ patients.”
Qualified customers for the service receive a choice of temperature options (ambient, chilled and frozen) through specialized thermal packaging. Pre-determined contingencies circumvent delays, and DHL quality control centers monitor the shipments 24/7. The service is suitable for transporting laboratory kits and medical devices, biological samples, research products, vaccines and drugs for commercial and non-commercial use.
DHL is the first integrator to enter Mexico and South American markets with a comprehensive service offering geared toward the needs of the clinical research sector. It represents an enhanced service and market alternative to the commercial carriers that historically have served the region.