Recently, medicinal drugs to aid weight loss like Ozempic and Mounjaro have become household names.

Starting out as treatments for diabetes, these sophisticated weight management therapies are increasingly prescribed to people struggling to maintain a healthy weight.

To deliver these so-called “fat jabs” to the growing number of users requires an infrastructure of precisely controlled cold rooms designed to ensure that these delicate biological medicines are stored safely between production and issue to patients.

At ICE, we’re proven experts in the kind of pharmaceutical cold storage facilities required to deliver weight management products at scale.

From the lab to prescription

The rise of weight loss injections has been rapid.

In February 2021, the BBC reported that a new appetite-suppressing drug “could mark a new era in tackling obesity.”

Just a year later, weight loss jabs were officially recommended on the NHS, becoming available for wider use.

By November 2023, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) authorised Mounjaro (tirzepatide) for weight management with the stated aim of tackling severe obesity and reducing NHS waiting lists.

In October 2024, the Daily Mail reported that the government would be manufacturing its own weight loss drugs to help meet the growing demand.

Earlier this year, in June, GPs across England began prescribing Mounjaro under strict new rules.

Meeting the cold chain challenge

Medicines like Ozempic and Mounjaro are complex, protein-based biological products.

This makes them highly sensitive to temperature and must be stored between 2°C and 8°C.

Even minor deviations to this range can result in irreversible damage. While too much warmth will accelerate their degradation, freezing can destroy their structure.

Validated pharmaceutical cold rooms are essential for this process.

These are purpose-built to ensure consistent air distribution, backup refrigeration, and full compliance with MHRA Good Distribution Practice (GDP) standards.

At ICE, we’ve been designing and building bespoke cold rooms for clients storing Ozempic, Mounjaro, and other temperature-sensitive biologics across the UK.

Building a resilient supply chain

To meet demand, pharmaceutical distributors and wholesalers are scaling up their facilities, but increased volume is not enough.

Each new cold room must be validated, and needs continuous monitoring, and responsive maintenance.

At ICE, our maintenance contracts for pharmaceutical facilities ensures operations and compliance through:

  • 24/7/365 rapid emergency response
  • Preventative maintenance schedules
  • Calibration and validation support
  • Digital audit-ready reporting

We’re playing a key role in ensuring that companies and health care providers can provide the advanced therapeutics patients need when they need them.

To find out more about how we ensure that when medicines are needed, they are stored safely, reliably, and in full compliance with the law, contact us today.