How Upturn Helped Unimex Clear an Urgent Pharmaceutical Shipment

An urgent pharmaceutical shipment for Unimex, Inc. faced two obstacles on its journey from Seoul, Korea, to the Philippines: congestion at its planned cargo warehouse and a customs hold over product-specific permit requirements. The cargo was intended for hospital supply, making timely clearance a priority.

Upturn Global Logistics handled customs brokerage and clearance. By coordinating an alternative warehouse handling arrangement and working through the documentation requested by customs, the team helped the shipment proceed while meeting its urgency requirement and maintaining customs compliance.

The shipment at a glance

• Client: Unimex, Inc.

• Commodity: Tramadol HCL + Paracetamol

• Origin: Seoul, Korea

• Philippine arrival airport: Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA)

• Transport mode: Airfreight

• Quantity: Approximately 9,900 boxes

• Reported weight: Approximately 1,100–1,300 kg

• Delivery destination: Parañaque City

• Upturn’s scope: Customs brokerage and clearance

• Handling requirements: Temperature-controlled, time-sensitive handling, including a transfer under guard on arrival.

The first challenge: congestion at PAIR-PAGS

The shipment was planned to arrive on Asiana Airlines and be handled at the PAIR-PAGS warehouse. However, congestion at the facility put the required timeline at risk. Waiting for the usual handling arrangements could have delayed the urgent pharmaceutical cargo.

Upturn pursued an alternative arrangement: proceed with the Asiana Airlines booking while coordinating special handling through a transfer under guard to the PAL warehouse. This provided a way for the shipment to move forward despite congestion at the originally planned warehouse.

The shipment’s temperature-control and time-sensitive requirements remained part of the handling coordination. The transfer under guard formed part of the arrival arrangements for this shipment.

The second challenge: a customs documentation hold

During clearance, BOC-CAIDTF held the shipment after a question arose about whether the product required permits or clearances associated with the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). The initial concern related to the product’s opioid component and a suspected similarity to another regulated commodity.

Upturn coordinated with the concerned parties to verify the actual product and clarify the requirements applicable to the shipment. According to the shipment account, this review established a distinction between the imported product and the commodity initially suspected.

BOC-CAIDTF then requested supporting documentation for an exemption from the permit requirements in question. Upturn worked on that requirement and coordinated with the concerned parties until the issue was resolved and customs clearance could proceed.

This resolution relates to the specific shipment described here. It does not establish a general exemption for other pharmaceutical imports or products containing the same ingredients.

The result: clearance that met the shipment’s urgency requirement

Despite the warehouse congestion and customs hold, Upturn found a practical handling arrangement and resolved the documentation issue. The shipment account confirms that the urgency requirement was met without compromising compliance with customs regulations.

The case shows the value of active coordination during clearance: identifying an alternative when the planned warehouse was congested, checking the actual product when a regulatory question arose, and following through on the supporting documents requested by customs.

Planning a pharmaceutical import shipment?

Share the product details, available permits and shipping documents, temperature requirements, arrival plan, and required timeline with Upturn. These details help the team assess the customs clearance and coordination needed for your shipment.

Learn about our customs brokerage and clearance services in Manila, or request a customs brokerage quote with your shipment details.

For an overview of the import process, read our beginner’s guide to importing goods into the Philippines.

About this success story

This account is based on shipment details supplied for the Unimex, Inc. success story. Quantities and weights are approximate. The banner is a temporary illustrative image from the Upturn website, not a photograph of this shipment.