Keep taking the tablets

Braille will be expected to appear on almost all pharmaceuticals packaging as of October 2010. Products could be taken off the market as a direct consequence of non-compliance. This is yet another factor for manufacturers to think about as they consider the best packaging formats for users and operational efficiency.

Among its many functions, medication packaging can help patients adhere to the dosing regime that ensures that they benefit fully from the therapy. Achieving the desired and expected outcome generates trust between doctor and patient, doctor and brand, and patient and brand.

In the over-the-counter (OTC) market, products must have packaging that protects the efficacy of the contents and delivery methods that users find comfortable, both to make them feel better and to engender loyalty to the brand.

MeadWestvaco is one company that has developed innovations to improve the consumer experience and maximise supply chain efficiencies. For example, the design of Med-Easy was based on interviews with consumers in London, Paris and Munich. It combines a blisterpack and carton for use with products on the RxList (internet drug index) and OTC.

“Our research showed that consumers often take medication when they are on the go,” says Dr David Spackman, sales director (Europe), adherence and delivery systems, MWV Healthcare. “Med-Easy is easy to open, discrete and small enough to carry around, without having to leave behind the medication information and dosing instructions.”

Med-Easy can be opened with one hand. It has a flap for instructional leaflets to be stored with the package, so consumers carry information about the medication at all times.

For supply efficiency, Med-Easy can be produced on standard cartoning equipment and manufactured near to the delivery point, Dr Spackman explained to Packaging Today.

Another recent introduction is MeadWestvaco’s line of preservative-free nasal pumps in dispensing volumes from 5ml to 14ml that protect from contamination.

MWV’s proprietary technology is said to provide shelf life similar to traditional formulations and to be a safe device for any liquid formula. Its sealing technology is a mechanical system that protects formulas by sealing in five places. It breaks with the convention of using a silver or metal coil for sterilisation, which can have a negative interaction with the drug formula, according to MWV.

Valois Pharma designed its side-actuated nasal spray to be, first and foremost, comfortable to handle and easy to actuate. ‘Only a slight effort’ is needed to depress the actuator completely for a full stroke, so patients are reassured that an entire dose has been delivered. The device is easily used for self-administration or by a third party, even when the patient is a child, says the company.

Regulatory changes

Regulatory changes can lead to some 20% of pharmaceutical companies having products taken off the market as a direct consequence of non-compliance, according to Design Cognition, which works with global brands on innovative ways of tackling new packaging demands.

“I am still surprised at the number of companies who aren’t up to speed with packaging legislation,” says Design Cognition CEO Chris Penfold. “In a few months’ time Braille becomes mandatory. Firms will need to take, and act on advice quickly to avoid costly mistakes and to get their designs submitted to the appropriate regulatory authority and incorporated onto their packaging on time.”

Chief technical director at Design Cognition Anne Dallison, a member of the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) working group on Braille standards, adds:?“There has been reluctance in the past by some in the pharmaceutical industry to incorporate Braille, but this is going to have to change. The penalties for non-compliance are serious.”

Neville and More has given the pharma market good reason to consider its new tablet delivery system that passes all necessary industry tests. Having to take tablets daily at regular intervals can be onerous for some and a worry for others. With The Dial Vial, tablet takers can clearly see when they last took one, thanks to a simple visual reminder in the container cap.

Designed to promote patient compliance, the pack is available in five colour coded dosage regimens and six bottle sizes. It conforms to the most rigorous quality testing and is fully certified as child resistant and senior friendly, the company says.

Double blister packaging

A new, compact feeder from Technical Engineering Group can double the output of blister lines in pharmaceutical plants, the company claims.

The TechnicalPharma division’s NG Feeder is designed to meet increasing demand for the packing of multi-product blisters. It can be tailored to the precise combination of web width and draw of individual customers, adds the company.

Three units will run side by side on a standard length blister machine, for ‘fast and accurate’ filling of multi-product blisters, with individual control of each product.

The group, which acquired Electro-mec’s pharmaceutical interests in February 2009, supplies Boston Scientific, Eli Lilly, Glaxo Smith Kline, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Pfizer and Wyeth.

ICSE wraps up the pharma market

ICSE, CPhI Worldwide BioPh & P-MEC Europe will be taking place in Paris-Nord Villepinte from 5-7 October 2010.

ICSE is part of the world’s largest pharmaceutical exhibition, and drives innovation in pharma packaging technology. In association with CPhI WW, BioPh and P-MEC Europe, this annual event attracts more than 25,000 industry professionals. The synergy between all four shows makes this impressive pharma event an industry ‘must’.

With a rapidly growing dedicated packaging zone, the event attracts visitors with a high level of seniority, which is why almost half of the 1,808 strong exhibitors say that they met more than 20 valuable business contacts.

ICSE visitor statistics:

79% had purchasing authority/ influence over purchasing.

67% plan to purchase products / services from an exhibiting company.

Over 33% of the 2009 attendee’s were new to the event – illustrating the rapid growth of interest in the show.

ICSE exhibitor statistics:

Over 80% of ICSE exhibitors rated the quality of the visitors as good-/ excellent.

31% increase in exhibitors from 2006-2009.

Over 90% of exhibitors see ICSE as the most important event in the industry calendar.

Over 80% of ICSE 2009 exhibitors have confirmed their attendance for 2010.

Part of the world’s leading pharma exhibition. P-MEC Europe has evolved its focus on equipment and machinery to include packaging technology. In just three years P-MEC Europe has dramatically by 62% and, with the industry rise of interest in the technology sector, the 2010 Paris edition is shaping up to be an impressive event.