Clinical trials run on time and temperature. A biological sample that sits too long, or drifts a few degrees outside its window, is a data point you cannot get back. That is the reality every research site, sponsor, and CRO manages, and it is why trial logistics gets treated as part of the science.
Red Fox Medical Courier moves clinical trial material across Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, New York, Arkansas, Illinois, and Alabama. We have run medical courier work for 14+ years, 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Why clinical trial logistics is unforgiving
Protocols set the rules. A specimen may need to reach the lab within a fixed number of hours from collection. An investigational product may require a narrow temperature band from the depot to the site. Miss the window and you risk a protocol deviation, a rejected sample, or a query that follows the study for months.
- Protocol timing. Collection-to-lab windows are fixed and often short.
- Temperature control. Ambient, refrigerated, frozen, and ultra-frozen each carry their own handling rules.
- Documentation. Every handoff needs a record. Sponsors and CROs expect a clean paper trail for auditors and monitors.
What we move for clinical trials
Investigational product
Study drug moving from a depot to a research site. Often temperature-controlled, always tracked, handled with the documentation the protocol requires.
Biological samples
Blood, tissue, and other specimens moving from the collection site to the analyzing lab. This is where protocol timing and cold chain matter most.
Lab kits and supplies
Collection kits, consumables, and study supplies moving to sites so a visit is never delayed by a missing box.
PET tracers and radiopharmaceuticals
Short-half-life imaging agents and other radioactive material used in trial imaging. These shipments are time-critical by nature. The dose decays whether or not the vehicle is moving. Our drivers are HAZMAT-trained for radiopharmaceutical and nuclear medicine transport, and we’ll walk you through our current authorization status in writing before you ship any regulated material with us.
Compliance, chain of custody, and temperature monitoring
- HIPAA compliance governs how we handle protected information tied to any shipment.
- Chain of custody documents every handoff from pickup to delivery.
- Temperature monitoring confirms the cold chain held for the full route, not only at the endpoints. See what a courier should monitor, document, and report when a shipment drifts out of range.
Who buys clinical trial logistics
- Research sites that need reliable, protocol-aware pickup and delivery.
- Sponsors who need proof their material moved correctly across every site.
- CROs coordinating logistics across multiple locations and studies.
- Imaging centers running PET and other scans that depend on time-critical tracer delivery.
Comparing carriers for a study? Read what research sites, CROs, and 3PLs should require in our guide to clinical trial courier services.
The radiopharmaceutical difference
Radiopharmaceutical transport is a different discipline. The material is regulated, the timing is set by physics, and the handling rules do not bend. Our drivers are HAZMAT-trained for this work, and we’ll confirm our exact current authorization status with you in writing before any regulated shipment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is clinical trial logistics? The specialized transport and handling of material used in a study, including investigational product, biological samples, lab kits, and imaging tracers, governed by protocol timing, temperature control, and chain-of-custody documentation.
How do you keep specimens within their temperature window? We handle ambient, refrigerated, frozen, and ultra-frozen shipments with temperature monitoring across the full route.
Can you transport radiopharmaceuticals and PET tracers? Our drivers are HAZMAT-trained for radiopharmaceutical and nuclear medicine transport. Contact us and we’ll confirm our current authorization status in writing.
What documentation do you provide for sponsors and CROs? We maintain chain-of-custody records for every handoff from pickup to delivery.
Which states do you serve for clinical trials? Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, New York, Arkansas, Illinois, and Alabama, 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Move your trial material with a partner who gets it
Call 813-489-5888 or request a quote to talk through your protocol. Every package is a patient.