Home › Glossary › Cold chain

Cold chain

The unbroken refrigerated storage and transport required for temperature-sensitive medicines.

Insulins, vaccines, certain biologicals and some eye preparations must be held within a specified temperature range, typically 2-8 degrees Celsius, from manufacture to dispensing. A break anywhere in that chain can render the product ineffective without any visible change to the pack.

For a retail pharmacy the practical obligations are a working refrigerator dedicated to medicines, a temperature record, and a procedure for what happens during a power cut. Storage requirements are a condition of the drug licence, and refrigeration is inspected.

Cold-chain lines are also where the largest single expiry write-offs usually sit. They carry short dating and high value, so a batch left behind by poor stock rotation costs more than several months of ordinary shrinkage.

Free, no signup — batch-wise stock register format.

Open batch-wise stock register format →

Related terms

Near-expiry stockStock close enough to expiry that it must be sold, returned or written off soon. Drug licence (Form 20 / Form 21)The retail licence required to sell medicines in India, issued by the state authority. FEFO (First Expiry First Out)Dispensing the batch that expires soonest, rather than the one received first. Batch numberThe manufacturer's identifier for a specific production lot, printed on the pack.

All terms

Batch numberBreakage and damageCDSCOCGST, SGST and IGSTCold chainCredit noteDPCO (Drugs Prices Control Order)Drug licence (Form 20 / Form 21)Expiry returnFEFO (First Expiry First Out)Generic vs branded medicineGSTR-1GSTR-3BHSN codeInput tax credit (ITC)Loose sale (cut strip)MRP (Maximum Retail Price)Narcotic registerNear-expiry stockNPPAPack factor (units per pack)Pharmacist registrationPTR (Price to Retailer)PTS (Price to Stockist)Purchase invoiceRed-border warning labelReorder levelRetail vs wholesale drug licenceReturn to vendor (RTV)Rule 65Rx symbolSalt compositionSchedule HSchedule H1Schedule XScheme goods (free goods)Shortbook (short book)Stock rotationStockist

This glossary is a practical reference for Indian retail pharmacy, not legal, tax or clinical advice. Requirements under the Drugs & Cosmetics Rules are enforced by state drug control authorities and vary; GST treatment should be confirmed with your CA. Verify anything you intend to rely on against the current notified position. As of August 2026.