In the pharmaceutical industry, a market that has been advancing constantly in recent years is packaging, both primary and the secondary pharmaceutical packaging areas. The overall packaging market has seen an annual growth of at least five percent per annum from 2008 to 2013, and projections continue to point upward.
As with other kinds of packaged goods, pharmaceuticals need extremely reliable and speedy packaging to meet the needs of product protection, quality, tamper proof evidence, and security needs. When it comes to secondary pharmaceutical packaging, blister packaging has been the model for meeting all of these needs and will continue to do so.
Packaging is defined as the collection of varied components which surround the product being packaged from the time of its production until its use in the medical field by doctors or be the patients themselves while away from the care of a doctor. Packaging pharmaceutical products is a broad, widely varied, and multi-faceted task. One of the most important areas of pharmaceutical packaging is the area of secondary pharmaceutical packaging. It is in this area of the industry where you will find the most reliable portion of packaging for products in this market.
Bister pack packaging refers to several types of pre-formed plastic packaging designs used for smaller, individual items such as pills and instruments that can be used only one time before having to be discarded. The primary component of blister pack packaging is a cavity or pocket made from a formable web. This web is typically a thermoformed plastic. For products that require a thicker, more durable packaging, blister packaging designs using PVC and foil combinations are used.
Blister package design is mainly reliant on the cavity or formable web that is created to keep the product from being damaged. This web also keeps the product fresher for longer periods of time, giving the product a much longer shelf life than it otherwise would have had.
Most people will now find their medications– including those sold over the counter–in some form of blister packaging. These designs are made with a peelable lamination so that they can be opened easily. Not all of these products look or function the same, however. Many of the secondary pharmaceutical packaging designs are made so that the blister packaging will fold over on itself. This is called a “clamshell.”
When designers set out to make advances in secondary pharmaceutical packaging, they must take into account three very important aspects of design: the needs of the product itself, the manufacturing process, and the distribution process. In other words, what will keep a product fresh and ready, how bing must it be and what shape, and how well it will travel without being broken or harmed.
In the pharmaceutical industry today, many advances have been made in the packaging of products ranging from pills to hospital instruments. Blister packaging, where a web is formed around individual items to keep them safe, has allowed for a dramatic increase in losses for companies.