The big noise about packaging for pharmaceutical companies and drugs

All of us are aware that packaging and labelling are primary requisites for any pharmaceutical company and more often than not, if the packaging is done well, the quality of the drug is maintained for a long time. So isn’t that relevant to all goods and products you may ask? Why is it a requisite only when it comes to Pharma and drugs? Read on. 

Importance of packaging of drugs

In the coming years, a steady growth rate is anticipated in the pharmaceutical and drug packaging market. Of the majority of drug delivery types available in the market, there are various other kinds of drug delivery types that include oral, transdermal, pulmonary, injectable, IV drugs, nasal and ocular which are predicted to show higher growth than other applications.

The global pharmaceutical packaging market demand is estimated by value to reach over $80 Bn, by 2020. With such huge numbers riding purely on packaging it is imperative for packaging companies to do their best when it comes to protecting and sealing a drug the right way. It is often known that the biggest threat to pharmaceutical packaging is its exposure to moisture. All kinds of packaging must entail protection against light, air, biological and mechanical damage and breakage.

Defined guidelines and storage

There are defined guidelines for storage, preservation and packaging for every pharmaceutical product. A series of tests is conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which needs to be strictly adhered to and followed by all the drug manufacturing companies.  In the pharmaceutical industry, labelling plays an important role. FDA has given a specified labelling standard for medicinal products which should contain specific information related to the product name, ingredients, drug fact table, dose, use, warning and allergic reaction. The guidelines also emphasises on the font size and type which should be easily readable along with the specified abbreviation. There is also a specification for material to be used while packaging for Pharma.

Essentially there are three types of packaging which are used in packing of different kinds of medicines. These include primary packaging, secondary packaging and tertiary packaging.

Primary packaging is the material that envelopes the product to hold it. This includes blister, strips, Alu-Alu packaging and such like.

Secondary packaging is the outside packaging of primary which includes boxes, cartons etc.

Tertiary packaging is used for bulk handling and shipping. This includes barrel, container, edge protectors etc.