Although LifeinaBox (the world's smallest fridge) is a perfect device for keeping your medication cool in hotels, cars, work or at home, it is sometimes a little complicated to use in airplanes. So we have developed the LifeinaBag series, which are isothermal bags that keep medication between 2 and 8°C (35 and 46° F) for up to 24 hours. We have over 10 years of experience in manufacturing isothermal bags for the pharmaceutical industry and have applied all our knowledge and design skills in making bags that are technically perfect and beautiful, yet discrete.

How the LifeinaBags are tested

As we are in a continuous quest for zero-defects, we go through great lengths to ensure that our bags deliver a perfect performance every time.

There are a number of elements to consider when we test bags, which are ambient temperature, what the medication is, and the static temperature of the actual medication. What interests us is the temperature of the medication itself (not the air around it).

Equipment needed:

1) Syringes, flacons and pre-filled pens filled with water

2) Temperature controllers (we use a Thermocouple Data Logger, with 8 different temperature probes)

3) A temperature-controlled black box that will keep the tested bag at a steady temperature.

When we do testing, we try and reproduce as much as possible the normal conditions of utilization. So we first fill syringes, pens, and flacons with water and place them in a household fridge so that they are between 2 and 8°C.

We then prepare the bag to be tested by placing the gel packs in a freezer at -18°C for a minimum of 14 hours. -18°C is the temperature of a standard household freezer.

We insert the temperature probes inside the syringes, pens and flacons filled with water so that they are inside the liquid and measure the temperature of the liquid itself. The temperature probes are linked to the temperature controller, which is linked to a computer that records the temperature every minute.

The flacons/syringes/pens are then placed inside the LifeinaBag being tested, together with the well-frozen gel packs in the correct position.

The entire LifeinaBag being tested is then placed in a controlled temperature environment (black box) which is maintained at a steady temperature of 24,2°C.

The computer will then record the temperature every minute over 12 or 24 hours, depending on the bag being tested.

Why 24,2°C

24,2°C is considered internationally to be an average ambient temperature, and is indeed the temperature that is kept inside of airplanes. As most people use LifeinaBags to travel in airplanes, it is the reference temperature used to test isothermal bags.

What if I use my LifeinaBag at a higher temperature

If you use the LifeinaBag24, which is tested to keep your medication between 2 and 8°C for 24 hours, at an ambient temperature of 30°C, it will not last nearly as long as 24 hours. It might only last 12 or 13 hours.

Every effort is made at Lifeina to make bags that give a perfect performance, but the bag's performances are dictated by the intrinsic limitations of the environment that they are used in.