Pharma Packaging A Complex, Vital Industry


Sharp packaging

Pharma packaging is a bigger concern than ever. The pharmaceutical industry has always been huge, and it’s only growing. Within the past 30 days, 48.5% of Americans have used at least one prescription drug, and in 2011 alone the American pharmacy and drug store sales amounted to around $231.46 billion. The fact is that the bigger this industry grows, however, the more scrutiny it falls under. A major issue that the pharmaceutical industry is having as of late is that of prescription medication addiction. Unfortunately, people are becoming addicted to prescription drugs at an alarming rate and abusing them. For that matter, the system can be abused as well if not monitored carefully. Patients may request prescription drugs with the intention of selling them on the street to make a profit. Therefore, it’s of the highest priority than pharmaceutical packaging and e-pedigree serialisation promote an atmosphere in which it is easier to keep track of where a drug has been, where it’s going, how much should be dispersed, and so on. For that matter, another controversy that has long plagued the pharmaceutical industry is the safety of its packaging. If tampered with or broken into by, for example, children, pharmaceutical medication can potentially kill. As such, the packaging needs to be on track, and pharmaceutical medication needs to be in the right hands at all times. Below, we’ll look into how e-pedigree serialisation works and how different types of pharmaceutical packaging do their jobs.

How Does E-Pedigree Serialisation Work?

E-pedigree serialisation is a major part of the modern pharmaceutical industry, and a key part of how medication is kept track of. Essentially, this is an electronic document that keeps data on the history of a particular batch of a drug. While every batch of drugs is required to have a pedigree of some kind, this method makes keeping that pedigree much more convenient and easy to access. Any drug pedigree, whether electronic or not, has to provide a certain amount of information. Namely, each prior sale or trade of the drug, including the date of such transactions and the addresses of all parties involved. This type of documentation ensures that if something goes wrong with the drug or the drug was attained for illegal purposes, then there is proof of transaction and the parties involved can be held responsible. For that matter, it discourages this kind of activity from happening in the first place.

What Kinds Of Packaging Are Used For Pills?

Typically, medication is administered in a liquid form or a pill form. The different types of packaging available vary depending on what type of medication is being used and in what form. For pills, blister packaging is a very popular form of packaging due to its flexibility and ease of use. When used with PVC and foil, it is thicker and more durable. The cavity or pocket of the packaging is made from formable web, which makes it easier for the product to be kept safe, and it’s less likely for it to be damaged in this sense. When a blister package folds into itself, it’s often called a clamshell. Bottles are also common, with bottle packaging services being frequently used in the pharmaceutical industry. The advantage of using bottles is that, when pills are more dangerous, bottles can come with certain levels of safety locks. Often, it can be difficult for some adults to open child-safe containers — let alone children. While blister packaging is a good choice for milder drugs, bottles are probably better for those meant for more intense purposes.

What Kinds Of Packaging Are Used For Liquid Medication?

Liquid medication can be difficult to package, as the medication has to be transported without spilling or rupturing. One common way in which liquid medication is transported is via a sealed pouch. These pouches can have child-safe seals, strip seals, and easy to open rip and tear seals. If the medication is administered through a syringe, however, many find that it is easier for the medication to be transported in a pre-filled syringe from the start. This saves the patient time and money, and is appreciated.


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