FDA Shipping Regulations

Considerations

The FDA requires that if you are going to ship food, drugs or biological materials within the United States, you must designate someone within the U.S. as being responsible for the shipment. This is true even if the shipment originates outside the U.S. -- the shipping company must have an agent within the U.S. responsible for that shipment, according to the FDA website.

Containment

According to the GMP Compliance website, shippers must ship medical supplies in containers designed for their containment and print specific directions regarding that storage. The directions should state how long the medical supplies may be stored in the containers and the date the supplies were placed within the containers.

Frozen Items

The FDA website indicates that dry ice should not be used for shipping items that will take longer than 48 hours to arrive. The guidelines state that 1 lb. dry ice is sufficient for an overnight shipment, but the FDA also recommends including slightly larger amounts if shipping from or to hot climates.