Patient safety is at the heart of the pharmaceutical industry. Medicines must be safe not only in their composition but also in the way they are packaged. A particular challenge is the design of child-resistant packaging. MM Pharma & Healthcare Packaging has developed solutions for this.
With the development of the pharmaceutical industry, expectations are also rising for safer and more accessible packaging. Regulations such as the US Poison Prevention Packaging Act (PPPA) and the European standard EN 14375 make it a legal requirement to protect children while maintaining ease of use for the actual patients. These measures are supplemented by international standards such as ISO 8317, which require stringent real-world testing to simulate the interactions of children and adults with packaging.
To achieve the highest safety standards, packaging must be designed to deter children's curiosity while remaining accessible to patients with visual or motor difficulties. Under the F-value test protocol, children aged 3½ to 4¼ years are given packaging they must open within five minutes. If they fail the test, they are shown how it works and given another five minutes. To obtain F1 certification, at least 85 percent of children must fail to open the packaging.
Adaptable solutions
To meet these requirements, packaging must balance a variety of competing priorities, from durability and accessibility to adaptability and sustainability. Cardboard packaging offers a compelling solution here, as it is versatile and adaptable, offering a wide range of options in terms of structural design and finishing. It can be used for a variety of applications, from blister packs and bottles to injectables and medical devices.
At MM Pharma & Healthcare Packaging, extensive experience has been gained regarding the benefits of cardboard packaging in the development of child-resistant solutions. One example is a reinforced cardboard and inner tray solution that uses tabs, finger holes and flaps to create a robust locking mechanism. This solution is certified as both child-resistant and senior-friendly, and can be adapted for a wide range of applications.
Source: MM Pharma & Healthcare Packaging
