Pharmaceutical Packing Technologies

Correct packaging is the difference between life and death—this statement might sound dramatic but is very apt for pharmaceutical packaging. Pharmaceutical packaging ensures the safe storage, transport, and administration of drugs. By preventing environmental exposure, bacterial growth, and fungal growth, pharmaceutical packaging technologies ensure the manufactured drug retains its efficacy and potency until the patient consumes it.

Over the years, various pharmaceutical packaging technologies have been developed. From stone and leaves to glass vials and current smart packaging, endless packaging options are available for pharmaceutical drugs. Each packaging technology has unique benefits and purposes, and each is perfect for a specific drug. Hence, pharmaceutical companies invest a lot of time in choosing the ideal packaging for a product, all based on the product’s requirements. 

In this blog, we discuss the types of Packaging Technologies and their applications. 

Types and Selection of Packaging Technologies

Pharmaceutical packaging can be divided into three levels: primary, secondary, and tertiary.

• Primary packaging directly encases the drug (e.g., syringes, bottles, and blister packs).
• Secondary packaging encases the primary packaging (e.g., carton boxes filled with bottles for transport to individual pharmacies).
• Tertiary packaging encases the secondary packaging (e.g., pallets and crates for transporting cartons to a specific city, region, or country).

Because secondary and tertiary pharmaceutical packaging technologies are pretty simple, we’ll discuss the various types of primary packaging technologies and how each is selected.

Blister packs

Blister packs are the some of the most common pharmaceutical packaging technologies for solid oral doses. Blister packs are made of pre-formed plastic or aluminum cavities sealed with a lidding material. The lidding material is almost always aluminum, and the cavities can be made of PVC, PVDC, aluminum, or nylon.

When to use?

Blister packs are perfect for tablets, capsules, lozenges, and all solid oral medications. They can be used for drugs sensitive to moisture or light, like antibiotics or hormonal tablets.

Why to use?

Blister packs are excellent for protecting drugs from environmental factors like water, heat, air, and sunlight. They are easy and inexpensive to manufacture, extend the shelf life of the drug, and usually do not require desiccants. Additionally, blister packs can be customized according to the product’s shape and size and the required dosages.

Strip foil packaging

Visually similar to blister packs, strip foil packaging encloses individual medications between a sealed strip. This pharmaceutical packaging is usually made of aluminum or polyethylene-laminated foils. Each dose is sealed in a separate compartment, which protects it until it is opened.

When to use?

Strip foil packaging is also used for solid oral doses like tablets and capsules. It can also be used for powders, granules, and effervescence tablets. Additionally, they’re commonly used for herbal and nutritional supplements.

Why to use?

Strip foil packaging offers excellent protection against light, moisture, and oxygen. Furthermore, tamper attempts can easily be identified because each dose is tightly sealed in a foil. Strip foil packaging is also light, compact, and easy to carry.

Vials

Vials are small, cylindrical bottles usually made from glass or plastic and sealed with rubber stoppers and aluminum caps. They can be made from borosilicate or soda-lime glass (with/without surface treatment). Plastic vials are usually made from polyethylene and polypropylene.

When to use?

Sterile vials are used for injectable drugs (e.g., vaccines and insulin), biologics, monoclonal antibodies, and freeze-dried medications. Non-sterile vials are used for syrups, solutions, and suspensions.

Why to use?

Vials are suitable pharmaceutical packaging materials because they maintain the sterility of the medication. They are highly compatible with automated filling technologies, supporting large-scale production. They are also versatile—they can be used for various formulations. They can also be built with tamper-evident features.

Ampoules

Ampoules are small sealed vials also made of glass or plastic. The significant difference between vials and ampoules is that vials can be used for multiple doses, while ampoules are generally used for single doses. Ampoules can be divided into open, closed, snap-off, and one-point-cut ampoules.

When to use?

Glass ampoules are used for injectable drugs, vaccines, biologics, and other sensitive formulations. Plastic ampoules are used for eye drops and inhalation solutions. They are generally used for single-dose liquid medications.

Why to use?

Both glass and plastic ampoules are completely airtight and tamper-proof. They’re perfect for strictly regulating the dosage of liquid formulations. They provide a sealed environment that prevents contamination.

Bottles

Bottles are also widespread pharmaceutical packaging materials. Bottles can be made of glass or plastic. Coloured bottles are used to protect formulations against light and contamination. Bottles are incredibly versatile, and their shape, size and material quality can be easily altered without changing the complete manufacturing machinery.

When to use?

Bottles are used for syrups, oral liquids, large-volume injectables, tablets, capsules, and topical liquids (e.g., eye drops and serums). They are also used for light-sensitive medications like vitamins, hormones, and antibiotics. They can also be used for large volumes of less-sensitive tablets and capsules.

Why to use?

Bottles provide medium-level protection against environmental factors. They have excellent stability and hence don’t react with medication. They are customizable, cost-effective, and tamper-proof. Additionally, the designs can be made child-resistant, preventing accidental dosage.

Sachets and pouches

Sachets and pouches are common pharmaceutical packaging materials for powdered formulations. They are made of aluminum foils, plastic laminates, or paper. This packaging technology is commonly used for convenient single-use dosing.

When to use?

Sachets and pouches are used for powders and granules. They are also used for oral rehydration salts, herbal formulations, ayurvedic formulations, and transdermal patches.

Why to use?

Sachets and pouches are lightweight and cost-effective. They have eco-friendly alternatives made of paper, which is entirely biodegradable. Furthermore, they provide a good barrier against moisture, UV light, and oxygen. They are also perfect for single-dose powders as they prevent overdosing.

Syringes

Most people are familiar with syringes used for administering a drug from a bottle or vial. However, syringes are also used for packaging medications that are very dose-sensitive. These are usually called single-use prefilled syringes. They are commonly made of glass or plastic and are disposable and stable.

When to use?

Syringe packaging is generally used for injectables that need to maintain high purity, such as insulin. They are also used for vaccines, biologics, anticoagulants, emergency medications (e.g., naloxone), self-administered therapies (e.g., insulin), and critical-care drugs.

Why to use?

They ensure the pre-measured drug volume is dosed to the patient, preventing dosing errors. They also maintain the sterility and safety of the drug.

Among these seven categories, there are many sub-categories. Hence, scientists must strictly analyze the medication profile to identify the best packaging material and type. This process has recently become quite streamlined as scientists can eliminate options depending on the drug’s reactivity and dosage requirements. For example, insulin cannot be packed in blister packs, and tablets cannot be filled in syringes. However, pharmaceutical packaging is still a comprehensive process.

So, Why Go Through All the Trouble?

The correct pharmaceutical packaging affords several advantages:

1. It protects the medication from physical damage (crushing, breaking, and spillage) as it moves through the supply chain.
2. It maintains the medication’s quality by preventing undesired reactions with water, light, or the environment.
3. It provides critical medication information like serial number, batch number, manufacturing date, expiry date, and side effect information.
4. It provides dosing information.
5. It prevents the counterfeiting of drugs by providing holograms, barcodes, and serialization, which are used for verifying authenticity.
6. It provides an easy opportunity to brand the product, which increases patient engagement and brand knowledge.
7. It allows the company to meet international standards and remain compliant with regulatory guidelines regarding drug quality.



What’s Next?

Whether it is blister packs, ampoules, vials, strip foils, or bottles, current pharmaceutical packaging technologies involve the use of non-biodegradable materials. Most packaging technologies use plastic in some form, which increases the pollution caused by the pharmaceutical company. As the pharmaceutical industry’s global carbon footprint and environmental effects have come into increasing focus, there’s been increased demand to shift toward eco-friendly, bio-degradable, and smart packaging technologies. Many efforts have been made to this end, so in the near future, we can expect new smart packaging technologies to emerge.