Pharmaceutical Warehousing: A Guide

Pharmaceutical warehousing is a regulated activity, and the wrong partner can put product quality and your own licences at risk. This guide sets out a step-by-step way to choose a provider in India. Please note that Farbe Enterprise does not currently offer pharmaceutical storage.

Step 1: list what you need to store

Pharma companies store very different materials, and each brings its own requirements. List them before you approach anyone.

Step 2: check licences and scope

In India, stocking and distributing medicines requires licences from the state drug control authority, and a licence is tied to specific premises and product categories. Ask for copies, check that they cover the exact building your goods will sit in and the products you make, and confirm they stay valid for the full contract period. Good distribution practice guidance from the central regulator is also relevant; ask how the provider's procedures reflect the current version.

Step 3: test the environment, not the brochure

India's climate is hard on medicines. Long, hot summers and humid monsoons stress any storage area, and conditions near a roof or a loading door can differ sharply from the middle of the floor. A credible provider can show:

• Temperature mapping across seasons, including the hottest months, with the report and any corrective actions taken
• Continuous temperature and, where needed, humidity monitoring, with alarms that reach someone at night
• A written excursion procedure, including how quickly you are told when one happens
• Backup power for controlled areas, and records of how it performed during outages

Step 4: audit stock and quality systems

• Is quarantined, released and rejected stock separated physically or by system status?
• Are batch numbers and expiry dates recorded for every movement?
• Can the provider run a mock recall by batch while you watch?
• How are returns, damages, deviations and complaints logged and investigated?
• Are staff trained in pharmaceutical handling, and are training records kept?

Step 5: align the quality agreement and the contract

The quality agreement and the commercial contract should say the same thing. Responsibilities for storage conditions, excursions, recalls, returns, record retention and your right to audit should be defined once and consistently. Review both documents with your quality and legal teams before signing, and schedule re-audits rather than assuming standards will hold on their own.

Pharmaceutical warehousing red flags on a site visit

• No visible temperature monitoring in storage areas
• Medicines stored next to unrelated or strong-smelling goods
• Reluctance to share licences, procedures or audit access
• Handwritten stock records without batch detail

Where we may still be useful

Pharma companies also hold items that are neither medicines nor regulated materials: engineering spares, project material, office and marketing supplies. Some of these may suit general or industrial warehousing, freeing licensed space for the products that need it. Talk to us about whether your goods fit through our contact form. For refrigerated products, our cold storage guide adds points specific to chilled facilities.

Frequently asked questions