Packaging Innovation Trends and Solutions

Not much changes very often, or very quickly, in the world of  pharma packaging innovations  for clinical trials—but there are a few trends.

Protecting ‘The Blind,’ Maintaining Consistency

Although pharma packaging may seem simpler to produce because it is designed to look generic, certain aspects can be more difficult. It is critical for a clinical trial package to ‘protect the blind.’ Everything —from the positioning of any printed elements to the color—has to look exactly identical. Even slight variations are unacceptable.

The ‘Blinding’ Process

Typically, customers will send the supplier the products that will be used in a trial, and Bilcare works with customers to find design solutions. The pharma packaging is “blinded” by being redesigned and altered, to ensure that no one will be able to spot any differences. This is necessary when a trial is comparing the effectiveness of two different drugs. Often, a drug that is already approved and on the market is being compared to a new one.

Utilizing Technology to Increase Productivity

Bar codes, when used on clinical trial packaging, can be another way to “protect the blind.” Suppliers say they also help make the randomization process more efficient. Bilcare have more packaging solutions that often incorporates bar code printers, as well as track and trace capabilities, into machinery lines for customers using its automated equipment. They often prints 2-D bar codes on labels for products that will be sent to a trial. The codes contain randomization and blinding information. This leads to shorter production times, quality improvement, and cost reduction. There is an initial investment in hardware and software, but the long-term savings can be well worth it, especially for larger trials.

Utilizing the Blister to Increase Patient Compliance

Some suppliers say calendarized blisters have become much more popular for clinical trials. So these blisters help ensure the patient adheres to a specific dosing regimen. Generally, blisters are more compliant, especially if titration is involved or the patient needs to take two different products. A blister may also be dictated due to the stability of a drug.

Electronic Solutions

Packages that electronically monitor patients’ dosing regimens have been around for more than 10 years and are only now slowly increasing in popularity. The market is beginning to develop. Electronic adherence packages are now being considered by drug developers as a tool to collect data. In most cases, the data captured is the date and time patients remove medicine from the package. A bottle cap, with a built-in timer, is one type of electronic monitoring system.

Responsibilities Shift in the Future 

Pharma companies are outsourcing many new types of jobs lately, which have traditionally been done internally. Bilcare  is one supplier that has been taking on additional responsibilities that have included managing the entire supply chain.

Interphex focuses on the concepts of Packaging innovation

Interphex, the annual pharmaceutical manufacturing and packaging show was held on April 2010 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. The event highlighted the need & importance of pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, and medical devices and will be attended by various renowned innovative packaging solution providers like Bilcare and several other manufacturers. It was followed by a conference providing comprehensive educational opportunities to bring forth the trending concepts of Pharma Packaging and challenges faced by the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical experts. There were around 70 sessions and workshops covering various aspects of pharma Packaging Innovation Solutions providing significant knowledge about it.

The event included a one-on-one meeting with the Pharma Packaging experts and technical professionals of the industry who provided information and guidelines to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry manufactures through live demonstrations.  They acquainted the manufacturers about the innovative packaging concepts along with the latest products and equipment. The manufacturers were provided expert advice by the professionals to face specific challenges in the Pharma Packaging sector. The event focused on the need for packaging innovation solution and covered the ways to find new resources and source new products. All the aspects and concepts of drug manufacturing and Pharma packaging from the stage of process development to delivery in markets were covered with complete knowledge and technological solutions to the manufacturers by the experts. The event highlighted all the fundamentals of life sciences manufacturing and the changing or up-coming trends like Automatic Systems, Child-Resistant Packaging, Anti- counterfeiting OVD, Vial Labeler, Self-Lifting Label etc. in the industry.

Medicine Packaging Innovation Firms

Medicine packaging innovation is a vital component of the medicine delivery system as pharmaceutical companies have to be extremely careful that their drugs reach the end user in a sterile and usable condition. The packaging has to meet stringent FDA standards, be suitable for the contents and also be easy to transport and keep on shelves, be antiseptic, tamper proof, have childproof caps at the same time being senior friendly. When  medicines have to be used in a hospital or institutional environment, they may require different packaging than when they are used by a retail customer. Medicine packaging is used by pharmaceutical companies

Pharmaceutical companies manufacture a wide range of medicine with different delivery systems including:

· Ingestible liquids

· Sprays

· Drops

· Creams, ointments and gels

· Tablets

· Gel caps

· Dispensers

Often specific medicine need very special packaging innovations – sometimes doses have to be marked, sometimes medicines have to be available in a single dose, disposable container. Other times drugs have to be dispensed in particular quantities in containers that are safe for long-term use.

Medicine packaging has to be done in impermeable containers that are strong enough to keep the contents safe during handling and transport. The product should be safe from adulteration, biological contamination or physical damage. Containers may be available in:

· Glass

· PVC

· PET

· Polycarbonate

· Polypropylene

· LDPE

· HDPE

· Polystyrene

With advances in technology and packaging materials, you can get the right packaging for your drugs that are safe, meets all the regulatory standards and is attractive.

If you need the proper packaging for your pharmaceutical products, you have come to the right place. Bilcare can easily source what you need and even suggest the correct packaging solutions for your medicine. You can design special packaging containers for your products as well and our design team is always ready to help you. What's more, we offer the best rates and friendly services – once you come to us, you will never go anywhere else.

The result of good-quality pharmaceutical packaging

The future of sustainable, high-quality packaging innovation depends on the development and follow-through of a strict assessment plan at all levels of an organization’s supply chain. This may mean manufacturers rely more on their packaging suppliers to promote sustainability. By using biodegradable resources, like paperboard, and by using those that support sustainability at all stages of the package lifecycle, organizations can satisfy the demands of safety-compliant and sustainable packaging.

Although challenges still exist in the pharma  packaging innovation , production will continue to provide solutions for more efficient packaging and a cleaner environment. Research planning and development departments and engineers will all play a key role in the future of pharma packaging. Pharma companies will benefit from the time spent transitioning to a more sustainable model, especially as they see growing consumer satisfaction. While the process is challenging, this shift to sustainability will positively impact the pharma industry, and any others who produce packaging, the consumer, and most importantly, the environment.

The assessment and controls depend on what your drug is—so there is not a catchall solution.

“Some drugs can be absorbed, some can be inhaled, some can be ingested, and some therapeutics can be all three. So you have to build in safety systems for all three methods of transportation into the worker’s body.” Rather than develop these safety systems for every drug individually, the guidelines suggest building a banding system that is used for all drugs.

The point of building a banding system is to categorize the risk levels of drug properties. Through a team represented by toxicology, health and safety, engineering, quality, validation, and operations, those categories are delineated into bands based on the control processes (including process, operational, engineering, and procedural controls) that the packager can implement. Examples of controls include containment systems, housekeeping, room ventilation, material transfers, and airflow controls. Then during the individual drug assessment, a drug is assigned to a band based on the comparison of the drug properties vs the band properties.