Virgin Atlantic Cargo will boost its investment in temperature-controlled products and services for the pharmaceutical market.

Darren Sherlock, the newly created manager of products and partnerships, was part of the team that developed Virgin Atlantic’s Cool Chain product in 2014 and, according to Virgin, will be in charge of the airline’s increased focus on the pharma sector.

“Pharmaceutical shipments cover such a broad range of products from contact lenses to high-value vaccines,” said Sherlock. “Our growth is based on understanding the sensitivities of every shipment, being responsive to our customers and tailoring services to meet their requirements. Some pharma customers moving less temperature-sensitive products, for example, choose to use our high-value cargo service to provide added security. Our reputation for great customer service gives customers confidence that we will deliver the service we have promised and they know we will be honest about what we can and cannot offer them on a lane-by-lane basis. With the UK to US pharma market alone forecast to grow by 7% a year to 2020, we expect to see more opportunities over this period.”

The growth of the pharma business is driven by Virgin’s trans-Atlantic network, which connects with daily frequencies to healthcare markets in India and China, according to the airline.