The volume of pharmaceutical packaging is constantly increasing. Safety aspects are playing an increasingly important role in this context
12 May 2024
Safety and security„ are required.
Photo: Metsä Board
The volume of pharmaceutical packaging is constantly increasing: this is due to the ageing population as well as medicines that are specially tailored to the needs of patients. Safety aspects are playing an increasingly important role in this context.
Eson Pac is a Swedish company specialising in pharmaceutical packaging. Niklas Bengtsson, the company's Sales and Marketing Director, is well aware of the current trends in the market: „For example, more and more recyclable raw material is being used to produce more effective medicines, which leads to increased complexity with different versions of packaging. In the future, there will even be customised printed packaging.“
In addition to being easy to read, easy to understand and easy to handle, the contents of the packaging must also be safe. This means that increasingly important properties of safety packaging come into play.
Photo: Eson Pac
„Safety packaging is the guarantee that the product has not been damaged along the supply chain.“ Niklas Bengtsson, Sales and Marketing Director of Eson Pac
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Tamper-proof solutions for pharmaceutical packaging
The cardboard producer Metsä Board has been developing tamper-evident solutions together with its customers for years as one of the key players in the European healthcare market. „Sometimes you can feel that the quality of the packaging is not good. It doesn't have the strength of virgin fibres, or the print is blurred. This can give rise to the suspicion that the packaging is a copy,“ says Iiro Numminen, Structural Packaging Designer at Metsä Board. „Security packaging, for example, has a structural element that breaks when the packaging is opened. And you can't replace the contents without leaving traces.“
Photo: Eson Pac
Tamper-proof features on packaging also include seals, adhesive tape, pre-gluing, foiling, plastic film or, as a very effective element, holograms.
Smart labels provide valuable information
A hologram in particular is an effective element of tamper protection. The latest product from Starcke, a Finnish company specialising in brand protection and holograms, is an application that connects products with smart labels to an online portal. It provides traceability with a QR code or a near-field communication (NFC) chip that works as part of a wireless connection. Brand owners can see where their products are opened and consumers can ensure their authenticity.
Tamper-evident features increase the security of pharmaceutical packaging. Photo: Metsä Board
Score points with lightweight
As in other industries, pharmaceutical companies are also endeavouring to reduce the use of plastic. Cardboard is a good alternative, as the material is easily reusable and is largely recycled. This effect can be further enhanced by the use of lightweight qualities, which can also be used for medicine packaging.
