The TİTCK cold chain notice defines these products as ones that must be stored and distributed between +2 and +8 °C, under the conditions set by the licence holder, from manufacture to the point of actual use. In pharmaceutical warehouses the product is identified on receipt, and inspections check whether the range really holds and whether the cold room or cabinet is adequate.
| Band | Label wording | Example |
|---|---|---|
| +2 to +8 °C | Store in a refrigerator, do not freeze | Unopened Lantus pen |
| 15-25 °C or below 30 °C | Store at room temperature | Most medicines |
| -25 to -15 °C | Store in a freezer | A small number of frozen medicines |
| -90 to -60 °C | Store in a freezer at -90 to -60 °C | Comirnaty frozen vial |
The band is set by the product in your hand, not by its medicine group. Comirnaty frozen vials are stored at -90 to -60 °C and may wait up to 10 weeks at 2-8 °C once thawed, while the refrigerated-only vials of the same vaccine must never be frozen. An opened 10 ml Lantus vial may be kept for 4 weeks at up to 30 °C, a 5 ml vial at up to 25 °C. The groups that usually fall into this band are covered in which medicines are cold chain products.
Why the lower limit matters just as much
The Lantus product information says unopened vials must not be frozen or placed next to the freezer compartment or a freezer pack, and a pen in use does not go into the fridge at all. A pack resting against the back wall or touching a cooling element can approach freezing while the display reads 5 °C. Colder is therefore not safer.
The display shows one sensor's reading. NHS SPS guidance explains that an air sensor reacts to change before a representative load sensor, and that min/max values do not show how many hours were spent at those temperatures. In commercial storage, mapping identifies the zones where the band holds, and product goes into those zones rather than onto the door shelf.