
Just days before ending his 24-year tenure as president and CEO of Direct Relief, Thomas Tighe was still so energized talking about delivering free medications to people who couldn't afford them that he seemed to forget he was standing inside an enormous “cold room,” set to a crisp 39 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius).
Tighe, 64, leaned over boxes of Granix, a $1,500-per-dose cancer-related medication on its way to clinics in Central America and Africa. Each container had an advanced sensor to track its location, measure light exposure and monitor temperature.