Most daily-use medicines are manufactured in pill or capsule form. For example, paracetamols, antacids, painkillers, and other oral drugs are commonly pressed into tablets and stored in first-aid kits for emergency use. Therefore, these medicines require strong and reliable packaging to protect them from moisture, contamination, temperature variations, and long-term degradation.

Considering all these requirements, only two packaging formats are widely used for pills and capsules: strip packaging and blister packaging.

Understanding Blister and Strip Packaging

Although both blister and strip packaging are used for unit-dose medicines, their structures and applications differ significantly.

Blister Packaging

In blister packaging, tablets or capsules are placed inside pre-formed, malleable but impermeable cavities called blisters. These cavities are then sealed using aluminum foil or paper-based lidding material.

Typically, blister cavities are formed using polymer materials such as PVC through thermoforming or cold-forming processes. As a result, blister packs offer strong physical protection and good visibility of the product.

Strip Packaging

Strip packaging, on the other hand, uses two layers of heat-sealable film to enclose tablets. In most cases, this film is made of aluminum, commonly known as alu-alu packaging. Sometimes, the foil is laminated with polymer material for additional strength.

Unlike blister packs, strip packs do not have pre-formed cavities. Instead, the tablets are sealed directly between two layers of foil, fully enclosing each unit.

Manufacturing Process of Blister and Strip Packaging

Although both formats provide individual containment, their production processes differ.

Blister Packaging Process

Blister packaging follows the form-fill-seal method, where forming, filling, and sealing occur on the same machine.

First, cavities are formed using heat or pressure. Next, tablets are placed into the cavities automatically. Then, the lidding material is applied and heat-sealed. Finally, the blister cards are cut into individual packs.

As a result, the entire process remains fast, consistent, and highly automated.

Strip Packaging Process

In strip packaging, two flexible films pass through a sealing press. Meanwhile, tablets are dropped between the films at precise intervals.

After that, the films are sealed together to form individual pockets. Subsequently, these pockets are cut into dosage strips and packed into cartons.

Although effective, this process involves more individual handling of tablets.

Which Packaging Method Is Faster?

When comparing speed and productivity, blister packaging has a clear advantage.

In strip packaging, tablets are dropped one by one into film pockets. Consequently, sealing and cutting take more time. In contrast, blister machines place multiple tablets simultaneously into pre-formed cavities and seal them within milliseconds.

Therefore, for manufacturers requiring continuous high-volume supply, blister packaging is generally more time-efficient and cost-effective.

Challenges in Blister and Strip Packaging

Like any industrial process, both packaging methods have their challenges.

In blister packaging, most issues arise from incorrect calculations or human error. For instance, improperly sized cavities may reduce sealing quality and cause tablets to crack. However, with modern automated machines and reduced manual handling, such risks are now minimal.

Strip packaging mainly faces design-related limitations. Since foil is used on both sides, the package tightly wraps around the tablet. As a result, even minor mechanical impacts may cause perforation. Moreover, trapped heated air during sealing can weaken the film.

In comparison, blister packs with pre-formed cavities remain more resistant to such damage.

Advantages of Blister and Strip Packaging

Both packaging formats offer distinct benefits depending on the application.

Advantages of Blister Packaging

Blister packs provide strong protection against environmental contamination. Additionally, they are easy to use, as tablets can be accessed by pushing or peeling the seal.

Because blister packs use semi-rigid materials such as PVC and aluminum laminates, they offer better resistance to mechanical stress. Therefore, even rough handling during transportation rarely affects the product inside.

Advantages of Strip Packaging

Strip packaging is particularly suitable for capsule-based medicines. Since the foil wraps tightly around each unit, moisture and air penetration is minimized.

Furthermore, strip packs keep capsules separated and organized, preventing them from sticking together. In addition, they require more force to open, making them relatively more child-resistant.

Role of Automation in Modern Packaging

Today, both blister and strip packaging machines are designed with minimal human intervention. As technology advances, machines are programmed to identify and eliminate potential errors.

Moreover, modern pharma packaging lines integrate inspection systems, automation controls, and quality validation processes. Consequently, both blister and strip packaging methods can now achieve higher efficiency, accuracy, and reliability.

Conclusion

Although strip and blister packaging differ in structure and processing methods, both play important roles in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Blister packaging offers higher speed, stronger protection, and better handling characteristics. Meanwhile, strip packaging remains useful for moisture-sensitive and capsule-based medicines.

Therefore, the choice between the two depends on product requirements, production volume, and regulatory needs.

If you need assistance in evaluating your pharmaceutical packaging facility or upgrading your blister and strip packaging systems, Accupack Engineering can help you improve efficiency, compliance, and long-term performance.

FCE Pharma hosts exhibits that promote various pharma sectors:

• Machinery and Equipement
• Raw Material
• Pharmaceutical Packaging
• Contamination Control
• Quality Control
• Laboratory Equipment
• Services
• Technology and Automation

With Accupack constantly on a mission to innovate, recreate, and promote machine tech in the pharma industry, we surely participate in many such informative pharma exhibitions on the go. WE want to help more and more pharma brands and upscale their production rates with our state of art pharma packaging blister lines and format parts. With the design skills of Europe and Tech Innovation of India, Accupack has been making plenty connections and partnerships around the globe. And we continue to thrive for perfection in the industry that demands Absolutely ZERO errors!

Whenever a product, pharmaceutical or food, is manufactured, it requires a high level of checks on every point of passage. The medical product shall not be handled incorrectly, have uneven proportions or get contaminated within the packaging machinery or during transport. Supplying quality to the end consumer is the primary objective of a drug manufacturing company. So when it comes to medical manufacturing and packaging, there are certain manufacturing practices to be followed for machinery and workforce alike. It is not to be learnt in college, it is simply a set of practices noted down by every federal agency that regulates the food and drugs market. Here’s what you need to know:

What are Good Manufacturing Practices?

 Good manufacturing practices (GMP) or current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) is a set of compliance rules that ensure that any pharmaceutical or medical product or device goes through a consistent regulation that keeps the quality of the goods intact, hence reducing the chance of harm to the consumers.

The pharmaceutical industry relies on persistent precision. Since the industry has the responsibility of serving the sick, it cannot have a single mistake in quality, composition and consistency. Because, if a patient takes a pill and ends up back in the hospital, the company is liable to a suit and will also lose its market reputation. Hence, all pharmaceutical products and devices are supposed to be manufactured with Good Manufacturing Practices that gives a way to consistency in quality.

GMP not only saves the manufacturers from making a terrible blunder but also gives confidence to the users that want to have faith in their medicines. It provides a certainty that each medical dose and packaging has the same ingredients in calculation and that no machinery or transport can meddle with it.

Many people believe that testing the medical product after production can ensure quality. Logically, however, the tests conducted on a batch of goods really keeps the rest of the product line in blind sight. So, the only way to ensure that the product going out of the facility is pristine, is by applying procedures and checklists along with a trained and accountable workforce.

The ‘P’ in GMP consists of pillars for good manufacturing practices that prevail in the industry. They include the most essential parts of manufacturing practices that build the confidence in manufacturers about their process. This ensures that all the products are under the compliance rules of regulatory bodies so that the manufacturers can be answerable to the inspectors. Let’s get to know the P’s that complete GMP-

People

The people that work under the manufacturing roof are an important part of the production. The workforce, all along the hierarchy, must have a clear set of roles and responsibilities down to every individual. It is important that every person carries their responsibility religiously, keeping in mind that the products they are making are needed to save lives and cure people. Every employee in the hierarchy, especially the ones working with the ingredients and machinery, shall be trained to perfection in following procedures. They shall be regularly assessed on their methods and performances to make sure the efficiency is retained.

Process and Procedure

Processes are a set of tasks that are needed to be performed in an order so that an input can be turned into an output. The order in which the tasks need to be carried out to complete a process is known as the procedure. A procedure needs to be followed in sync in order to make sure that the process is consistent and complete every time. In pharmaceutical manufacturing, both processes and procedures shall be noted down and there shall be a clear understanding among the staff to achieve the goals of manufacturing and continue standard operations of the business.

Premise and Provisions

Premise and provisions are the two most important factors of pharmaceutical manufacturing. The premise or the facility is where all your processes and procedures take place. A medical manufacturing or packaging facility cannot risk having contamination from handling or machinery. A proper cleaning regimen shall be followed. In every medical facility, wherever there is production or packaging, there has to be proper calibration methods in place for the machinery, which is the most important provision. The people shall have a well-defined procedure to take care of the premise and to work the provisions to achieve total sanitation and no contamination in the product. This will ensure the consistency in quality that every pharmaceutical manufacturer needs.

Products

All the pillars of GMP are made to reach the end result, which is consistency and quality in every dose or unit that is bought by the consumers at the counter. This responsibility of taking care of all the Ps shall be end-to-end in the organization so that every batch of raw materials and finished products that leave the facility is of top quality and are correctly handled in order. There shall be a defined and documented specification list for all the ingredients and their quantity added to the product. This ensures consistency throughout the batch.

All in all, the 5 important pillars of GMP are required to be in order. In every medical production facility, be it manufacturing the drugs, packaging it, managing people or machinery, GMP fundamentals shall always be followed so that the end consumer can be confident and safe while taking their medications or using a product. Since packaging is the most important part of keeping the product safe, the process has to be efficient and seamless. At Accupack Engineering, we ensure that your packaging is less complex and more time and cost efficient.

The lack of information also made it practically difficult for non-experienced people to give out injections. Well, glass syringes are still going on with finer needles to protect highly volatile pharmaceuticals. But, for the general public and small dispensaries there are plastic syringes with removable needles. The clinical use of syringes might still be working around reuse with disposable needles but to decrease the doctor’s pressure and chance of accidents it is necessary to have a perfect dosage inside a single, easy-to-use syringe.

The world has started its shift towards providing safety and accuracy with parental or home use syringes. Single use plastic syringes are proving to be the best at providing ease-of-use to all the patients and caretakers at home. Inclination towards proper dosage is necessary for both medical staff and pharmaceutical manufacturers. There are, however, some challenges to be faced from a manufacturers point of view.

The characteristics of the current market

It has been more than two decades since the prefilled injections were first introduced to the market. The Japanese came up with the first plastic disposable syringe in 1963. After which a lot of companies patented their own designs and the disposable needle took over the market. But, the need for self-administration kept growing with more and more diseases taking a chronic form. Since the advent of disposable syringes was right after the world had gone through the 1957s influenza pandemic, the patients already into the chronic phases of other diseases needed to stay away from the medical centers and keep hygienic conditions at home. In that time a compounder (clinic nurse) would have to go to the patient in case any injectables are prescribed. The shortage of experienced medical staff then increased the need for prefilled syringes with unit doses that the patient or caretakers at home could self-administer.

Due to the world getting out of many recessions and wars, the pace then was slow, and the prefilled syringe with single doses got patented and manufactured in the 1980s with heparin as the first injectable drug for public medical use. The history shows the success of today’s market that by the year 2016 had its three biggest manufacturers with hundreds of biopharmaceuticals and clinical drugs. The US market for prefilled syringes, however being less mature than the European market, has a great future. As pharmaceutical and biotech firms become more and more refined in usage and handling ease, there are more diseases that are in the process of being treated at home.

To meet the demand of a population that is increasingly investing in health, more sophisticated ways of drug administration will be the need of the year for the US prefilled syringe market. There are more drugs and biopharma products being added to prefilled syringes than heparin. Vaccines, blood stimulants, therapeutic proteins, erythro proteins, interferons, anesthetics, and rheumatoid arthritis are some of the most common products that are being used with prefilled syringes. There are several more developments every year in the field of biotech and pharmaceuticals, a long list of highly effective protein and organ aimed injectable medications are being discovered every month. Such products need to be taken on regular intervals and trips to the hospital can be stressful, especially to a patient. Prefilled syringes for such chronic conditions will soon be the new norm as it gives the patients comfort of home along their treatment.

Challenges Amongst Opportunity

Prefilled syringes might be an easy to use option for millions of at home patients, yet the most important factor applies whether all people will be able to adapt to it, or, be safe while using them. With the rising rates of self-administration, comes the greater risk of shortcomings in sterility. Outside of a clinical environment, there are many pathogens that could be circulating in the air and on the epidermis. Missing the alcohol rub or holding the needle might contaminate the dose, and you never know whether the infection will be a spore on the skin or somewhere inside. Hence, the need for efficient sterility in packaging shall meet the sufficiency demands of sterility through manufacturing till usage. For a long time, emergency clinics and military medical teams have been using prefilled syringes of adrenaline packaged in alcohol soaked sponge pads, covered with plastic packaging. A similar approach may be applied to syringes with temperamental substances.

Prefilled syringes are known for the property of making fast injection safe and the dosage measured. It helps self-administration easy as it allows the patient to take the exact dosage in times of emergency. But is it really safe in times of emergency? History shows that most cases of chronic diseases that are treated or managed over a long period of time, are those of adolescents and children. Most of them are against taking injections just because of the pain. Prefilled syringes have to be accompanied with advanced needles that are finer and have negligible pain with usage. Processing and quality maintenance are certainly going to be the major challenges in developing painless and safe prefilled injections. Needle injuries are going to be a major cause for rising manufacturing costs. Syringe safety systems need to be constantly redefined and new cost alternatives are to be employed, to make syringe and needle-stick production efficient and cheap.

In Conclusion

There are three to four top players in the prefilled syringe industry and it revolves around their location advantage and customer loyalty. So to make it up in the game, new players will have to innovate highly on sterility, disposability, cost control and painless delivery for patients. The new range of non-invasive medication is showing up but the drugs need to be changed in format and designed according to the method which raises the cost 6-fold. So the market is not going to hinder prefilled syringes yet. The best time to start manufacturing and testing is now. Find more info on prefilled medication packaging with Accupack.

The blister seal is the only thing standing between impeccable medication and contaminated dosages, between cure and accidental fatality. Hence, every pharmaceutical packaging team shall have not only the perfection in design knowledge but also a set of foolproof tools.

We, as Asia’s largest pharma-packaging solutionists, having over two decades of experience, amassed a great deal of information about achieving a perfect blister seal. In this blog, we have shared our top eight tips for achieving and maintaining a perfect blister seal, right from packaging to the end of the shelf life.

1. Match your packaging materials

The choice of materials for product packaging depends largely on two factors – the cost of the material and the amount of protection needed from external elements to maintain the integrity of the products.

However, pharma companies also need to consider the compatibility of base and lidding materials to ensure seal integrity. Your packaging material supplier will be able to advise you on the optimum material combination. For example, as a general rule, any lidding material that is compatible with PVC won’t be a match for PET.

Moreover, it isn’t possible to seal directly to PCTFE(Polychlorotrifluoroethylene), because of its temperature tendencies, that curl up the aluminum sealing bed and destroy the card. You will need a special coating or a PVC layer to ensure a strong bond with the lidding material.

2. Maximize the seal area

To ensure a strong seal, you need to create a maximum seal area. It is recommended that packs should be designed with a minimum of 5mm between each cavity. The same should be maintained to the outer edge of the card.

To improve sealing surety, you can also seal across a larger area first and then cut off the excess so there are no weak points.

3. Select the sealing system carefully

The sealing system plays an important role in ensuring the quality of the seal. You can use either intermittent platen or rotary sealing methods. Each has its pros and cons.

For example, intermittent systems need higher pressure and longer sealing times. But, they tend to seal at lower temperatures due to the longer sealing times. One of the major disadvantages of using an intermittent platen system is that air can get trapped in the blister pockets. This can compromise the seal aesthetic. The seal integrity is maintained but with a pop sound on every dispension. You might know the regulation about not buying food and pharmaceuticals with puffed packaging, except potato wafers!

On the other hand, the rotary sealing systems run at higher speeds compared to intermittent platen systems. The seal can be applied in a shorter time and at a lower pressure. These systems use higher temperatures. With a roller compatible knurl design the blisters can achieve a perfect seal. Thus, this system is the preferred sealing method for thermoforming packs.

4. Optimize your sealing parameters

Every material combination that you use will require a specific dwell time, pressure, and temperature to achieve an optimum seal. And identifying the correct parameters is only half the job done. The bigger challenge lies in ensuring that the force is evenly distributed over the sealing surface.

Thus, you should optimize your sealing parameters in such a manner that the force gets evenly distributed over the packaging surface. You need to ensure that the upper sealing tool applies heat uniformly and activates the adhesive layer evenly to ensure a perfect blister seal.

5. Consider knurl pattern

Knurling is a finishing process used to create a combination of line patterns, horizontal, vertical or crossing, on the surface of the seal. The choice of the knurl pattern plays a vital role in determining the seal integrity.

You can use a pyramid knurl design on platen seal packs. However, you need to use a flat top knurl to avoid rupturing the material layers being sealed. While it works better on high speed roller blister machines. This can happen when too much or uneven force is used. This leads to the knurl puncturing the lidding foil.

6. Maintain sealing plates

You need to maintain the sealing plates to ensure the integrity of the seal for a long time. Anodised aluminum plates need to be removed and re-anodized from time to time to maintain sealing quality. This needs to be done frequently on blister packaging machines running printed materials. If not done, it can lead to ink buildup which can distort the knurl pattern. This can lead to the weakening of areas across the seal and micro-channeling.

7. Perform integrity testing

This is a critical step in ensuring and verifying the seal strength. You need to check for any capillaries that may be present in the seal and any other defects that may be caused during the packaging process.

To perform integrity testing, there are a number of destructive and non-destructive tests available. Each of the tests varies in factors such as the cost and the technology involved.

One of the most commonly adopted methods is the blue dye test. The method is cost-effective and easy to implement. That being said, the method also has certain drawbacks. For example, the method is highly subjective and leads to a lot of waste. Thus, drug manufacturers are looking toward other integrity testing methods.

For example, camera-based performance integrity testing provides greater efficiency compared to the blue dye test. Thus, a large number of pharmaceuticals are opting for this method.

8. Consider post-production processes

Before the blister leaves the line, it is important to consider any other processes the blister will be subjected to afterward. If not, this can reduce the integrity of the blister seal and make the drug unfit for consumption. For example, some blister packs are sterilized using gamma radiation to prevent contamination from external factors.

These were our top tips that can help you achieve a perfect blister seal. If you are looking for more such tips or a blister packaging partner, feel free to contact us.

Medicines and supplements especially need pharmaceutical packaging and blisters to perform, to keep their adequacy, effectiveness and freshness unimpaired. There are several regulations to maintain user safety and the safety of children. Bottle, box or alu-alu blister packaging, if any case can be opened like it’s child play, the child might be poisoned fatally. In heavy pharmaceuticals, all product packaging is required to have a child-safe feature. The high tensile lid in alu-alu blister packaging, for example, makes the packaging resistant to pressure from a child’s hands.

Complying with the safety regulations of pharmaceuticals, the packaging has to always go through tests that ensure long-lasting quality without being affected by rough handling, transportation mishaps or environmental changes. So, quality assurance tests are necessary to double-check the efficiency of packaging. Here’s how quality assurance works for pharmaceutical packaging-

Ideal Requirements for Packaging

To know what to test in a batch of packaged goods, one must know the industry-standard requirements from the packaging. Pharmaceutical packaging is a very complex stage which requires an impeccable design that can be practically created and doesn’t fail at physical and chemical tests. Here’s what a packaging must provide-

• It must always provide a holding space for the product without losing the integrity of the product in a way of leakage, spoilage, or water permeability.
• It must always create a barrier between the product and the environmental factors like moisture, air, microorganisms and sunlight while in storage.
• Every seal or cap in the packaging must be airtight and shall not allow gasses to permeate through.
• The packaging design must be strengthened enough to withstand the shocks that come from human handling and transportation.
• Packaging must have perfect facilitation for removal of product and safe intake without spillage or overdose.
• The packaging material shall always be chosen in a way that it doesn’t react or interfere with the chemical composition of the consumables they hold.
• Cost of packaging material shall always be lower than the cost of the product while maintaining quality throughout the manufacturing process.
• The design must maintain a distinct look from the other brands and shall be unique to be identified easily as the right medicine by the patients and caretakers.
• Packaging material shall be non-volatile and must have the highest melting or inflammation point possible, to protect the product inside from sudden temperature changes.

Packaging materials have the most important job in the pharmaceutical sector, to preserve the medicines and supplements and increase their shelf life to the maximum. This is why the testing phase has to be planned.

Procedures for Package Testing

Quality assurance tests for packaging have to be divided into two sub-groups. One group isolates the packaging material from the whole manufacturing process and is checked for qualities like tensile strength in alu-alu blisters or contamination in PVC packaging material. Another batch of tests is conducted on the whole packaged and finished product to check for durability, leakage, or gaseous penetration. The tests are concluded in the manner below-

1. Testing material- There are generally three regular kinds of tests done for the material.
   • Chemical-chemical testing using different indicator compounds or stimulants is done to test for chlorides and sulfates in paper and box materials, the chemical composition of plastic material and the alkalinity of glass material.
   • Mechanical- these tests are conducted before making design decisions so that the effects of pressure, folding, forming, etc. can be studied on the material.
   • Environmental- environmental testing is conducted by standard procedures that check the rate of water absorption, the permeability of water vapour, the appearance of gasses when affected by heat and the effects of light.
2. Testing finished packaging- Finished packaging is tested for two of the most common categories of hazards- mechanical (shock, compression, friction, puncture, etc.) and environmental (temperature, light, vapours, moisture, pressure, contamination, etc.)
   • Mechanical- tests are conducted on packaging containing the product to see the effects of transportation hazards under a mechanical simulation and to compare the efficiency rates of different materials.
   • Environmental- environmental situations are artificially created and the packages are subjected to the conditions to check for water sorption, leakage of product from heat, oxidation of the product through the seal, or reaction of product in light.
3. Testing blister packaging- Blister packs are tested for perfect sealing with the following steps:
   • The blister strips are first placed in a desiccator and a vacuum is applied, The vacuum is then released and blisters are removed.
   • Humidity in the air sticks as moisture on the strips when a vacuum is applied, the moisture is wiped off with paper tissues.
   • The product inside the alu-alu or PVC blister packaging is then removed and checked for moisture if any has seeped through the seal. If the product is dry, it means the material and blister packaging machine have achieved proper sealing.

Packaging material is tested in the first go when it arrives at the facility to remove quality issues that might be a hindrance to the manufacturing process. However, when it comes to finished packaging, the tests conducted are also aimed at the finishing of the material and its durability through transportation and handling.

If the packaging doesn’t pass the durability checks, the material may be changed again to match the efficiency required by the design. Most packaging machines like Accupack’s Victory, are adaptable to different material types and sealing designs. Contact Accupack to know more about your perfect material.

Over time, it’s been found that sealing blisters with polymer lids has a limited amount of shelf life and changes a lot with the temperature and humidity, causing oxygen and moisture to react with the medicine. Which alters the chemical composition of the drug and can pose a risk in the treatment. The high melting points of metal thus come into use. Aluminum foils have been used for decades as a packaging material and continue to be the best containment material for packaging ingestible products.

For the most volatile and unstable high dosage pills, alu-alu blisters are the best way to contain the elements. The aluminum barrier keeps out all the environmental factors that can meddle with the drug and decrease shelf life. But alu-alu blister packing comes with costs for material and machine. Also, it is not a dire need for common medications that are stable. So here are the most important questions to ask before you choose alu-alu blister packaging.

What is an Alu-Alu Blister?

In an alu-alu blister or CFF (cold formed foil) blister the sealing machine uses an aluminum based layer for both the base and lidding, particularly in Europe, India and East Asia. Since these economies are adept to blister packing, they require alu-alu packing that increases the shelf life of the product and provides protection till its final use. Hence most alu-alu blister sealing machines around Europe, India and Asia are built to use nylon, aluminum and PVC layering. The use of this mixture makes the packaging more efficient at providing protection from light, heat, oxygen and moisture.

Alu-alu blisters are made using a cold forming technique where the machine presses the laminate onto a molding tray without the use of heat. The cold plate has pins to create the cavity for placing the product. After which, the sealing tool puts an aluminum foil lidding on the blisters.

Why Does a Product Need Alu-Alu Blisters?

Every pharmaceutical product out there has an Active pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) which is the most unstable when exposed to environmental factors. A packaging material must ensure that this ingredient remains stable until it is consumed by the user.

The stability of an API can be disbalanced with environmental factors like thermal spoil, oxidization, UV rays, microorganic infection and moisture ingress. In a lot of pharmaceutical tablets and capsules, there is an additional layer of ingestible coating that keeps moisture away from the core of the drug. There are several areas where a drug is fit for use even after getting in contact with moisture. There are painkillers used by dissolving in a cup of water.

But in addition to the features added to the pills, the pharmaceutical products need special protection and containment. More so when the active ingredient is highly unstable, which is the case with most high dose medications used for diseases like diabetes, cancer, and gastro-intestinal issues. So, when a medicine that is unstable to hydrolysis (getting altered by moisture), light, and any environmental change needs a 360° barrier against the slightest of moisture permeability, light and temperature changes. This is where a drug needs an aluminum layer in both base and lid, as it leads to containment and stability until the product lands in the hands of its end user.

The level of insulation a drug needs from the destabilizing factors can only be known with a tough stability test done with different blister sealing methods, machines and environments to match the humid and sunny conditions in economies like India, China, and Latin countries. So, if you’re supplying regular medication for seasonal illnesses, alu-alu packing might be a lot of work.

Can All Pharmaceuticals be Packed in Alu-Alu?

You can absolutely use alu-alu packing for all pharmaceuticals. If you’re planning to give cough-drop lozenges a boost in shelf life or giving more time to a user to finish the strip of paracetamol. But the only thing separating alu-alu blisters and PVC blisters is the price tag that comes with every roll of aluminum blister foil. Yes, alu-alu blisters aren’t budget friendly if you’re making medicine for regular users and over the counter buyers for medicines that don’t need prescriptions. The expense of alu-alu blisters might only be good to ROI if the drug has higher demand and requires special care till it reaches its patient.

With pharmaceutical products, the packaging is the most important part if a medicine needs to be globally accepted as fit for use. Alu-alu blister packing might be a game changer for your life saving product. To know about alu-alu blister sealing machines and how they benefit your medicine, visit Accupack India.

In general, the “defect” shows up in pharmaceutical products as contaminants, short shelf life, spoiled goods, tampered packaging etc. A packaging defect, however, is the biggest concern. Because packaging of pharmaceutical products has to be efficient enough to keep the medicines away from any contact with environmental factors and human touch. Since most pharmaceutical products are volatile or effervescent to environmental factors like heat, moisture and microorganisms, they need A-grade containment.

Aluminium vs. Other Materials

In earlier days, there has been a lot of use of paper in the packaging of medicines and pills. But the permeable characteristic of paper makes it a worse containment material than common PVC. Blister packs have long been lidded using paper and polymer layers but even with the PVC layer, the material fails to increase shelf-life or keep moisture from seeping in. Also, paper and PVC have a higher stretching point which makes it difficult to remove the pill, crushing it in the process. This, in the case of capsules, is a bad choice, given its weak structure. So, when it comes to containment, metallic foils for blisters can always be relied on. And since steel cannot be used with materials that are ingestible, only aluminium passes as a non-reactive metal for pharmaceutical packaging.

What makes aluminium perfect for packaging?

For a long time, humanity has used aluminium for making cooking vessels and there are no cases of poisoning from aluminium. The metal is highly resistant to corrosion and can withstand changes in humidity and temperature. The anti-permeable quality of aluminium makes it efficient for packaging. It enables the packaging to keep out ultraviolet light, water vapour, oils, fats, oxygen and microorganisms.

Aluminium is used to make cookware for its non-toxic qualities. This metal keeps out most bacteria, doesn’t change the chemical composition of the product it holds, plus it never infuses its own taste into the product. Aluminium’s quality to keep the product unaltered and keeping out all light and heat makes it the perfect material to package pharmaceutical products. This is why it is used in most blister packaging and alu-alu blister machines to increase the shelf life of pills, capsules and effervescent tablets.

Benefits of Using Aluminium

Aluminium has a number of benefits when it is used to pack highly volatile materials such as pharmaceutical drugs.

Properties

The natural properties of aluminium make it a great containment metal for consumables. It creates the right barrier between environmental factors and products.

Light Weight

Aluminium is a metal that is light in weight while being highly durable. It has a density of 2.70g/cubic cm which is very low compared to iron/steel which is 7.86g/cubic cm. This makes the metal easier to use and mould for packing operation while providing strength that is close to steel. The lightweight makes it easier to transport and handle in big batches.

Malleable

Aluminium is the second most malleable and sixth most ductile metal. This property enables it to be easily cast into any shape and thickness. Especially when it has to be layered as a thin lid in an alu-alu blister machine, aluminium’s malleability gives it a high stretching capacity to be used with pressure and temperature. Hence, there are low chances of any cracks. It doesn’t matter if you’re using a cold-forming alu-alu blister machine, or a heat sealing PVC blister pack with alu foil, aluminium will instantly take shape without altering its chemical composition. It can be used in heavy machinery because of its non-spark property which allows faster compression as compared to any other metal.

Impermeable

Permeability is the most dreaded factor in pharmaceutical packaging. Aluminium provides perfect sealing without any chances of microfractures in the lid. It is a material that can resist regular environmental temperature making it the best choice for packing material that can be destroyed with even a tiny bit of moisture or vapour.

Recyclable

With rising concerns for the planet and the need for sustainability in all industries, aluminium becomes the best packaging material. It is highly recyclable and doesn’t lose mass to corrosion or oxidation like steel. It gives the metal a long life and makes it great for recycling and reusing in the same industry. The melting point of aluminium is lower than steel making it use up less energy to melt and recycle.

The pharmaceutical industry needs to stand its side in the race of sustainable manufacturing and packaging. Aluminium packaging costs can be higher for the first few batches, but over a period of time the user satisfaction will bring back more returns and recyclability helps attain a sustainable cycle. With the right alu-alu blister machine, you can ensure less wastage of packaging material, to know more about aluminium packaging contact Accupack Engineering.

With the developments in the day to day lives of people, pharmaceutical packaging has always stood by to keep healthcare safe to certain points. When troubles with child safety showed up with bottles, blister packaging was developed to keep the machine running without accidents. Pharma packaging has come a long way since the world wars and now stands at the face of challenges in providing safety, quality, efficacy, and convenience. Packaging is supposed to provide all round safety to the pharmaceutical products that are volatile as well as to the medical supplies like vitamins and pain relief gels.

Technological advancements in the world are already on par with providing devices to consumers to keep a track of their health and report it to their doctor in real time. So as the health bands and reminder apps work, all kinds of packaging from blisters to syringes are also transforming into a more controlled and safe option. Along with digital enhancements, the global growth of pharmaceuticals also brings the issue of counterfeiting and forgery operations.

Where does Pharmaceutical Packaging Stand?

The current standing of the pharma industry is that globalization is taking over and products are being distributed all across the world. Hence the need for mass customization arises, for use within different regulations. And more than ever the need for sustainable packaging is crucial and is being supported by the whole healthcare industry. The fast-paced world and globalization also bring about duplicacy which is not only harmful to the industry but also to the patients and consumers. The packaging industry has had some efficient development in countering the above issues. There are packaging solutions that are recyclable, make packaging less energy consuming and are highly customizable to be differentiated from the competitors and the duplicated products.

But  with the emerging needs of the market, the tools need to be updated as well, to meet the packaging needs. In the case of pills, every blister packing machine must be in accordance with the safety standards and shall meet the various customization needs. With PVC blister packing, the machine must be efficient enough to create the right blister that is tamper proof and in case of tamper shows clear signs. With alu alu blister packing, every machine needs to be ready for larger production capacity while being error proof with pressure. Alu alu blister packing machines are being used largely to package all controlled and prescription capsules so failing with the safety factor can be lethal to a curious child or patient with self-care. Which is why blister machines can now be automated while reducing human error. Blister packing machine manufacturers like Accupack make sure to reduce human errors by adding direct head control through remote accessibility and operator friendly features.

To get into the requirements from pharmaceutical packaging is the best way to understand- what the industry is providing and how it is developing its own provisions?

1. Containment

The primary need from any packaging product is containment but there are different kinds to it. Most cotton stick buds for example have an easy open resealable pouch, while children’s dietary products are double packed with a heat sealed foil pack and eternel cartoning. Pharmaceutical pills are packed either in blister packs or in plastic bottles if packed in the US.

Between blisters and bottles for tablets and capsules, blisters are the standard packaging choice through Europe and Asia, the biggest pharmaceutical market in all continents. They provide proper containment for each pill and make sure that the pills aren’t exposed to environmental factors till used by the consumer. Blisters packaging designs, especially with alu alu blisters, are now being advanced towards sealing techniques and added layers that restrict moisture and air efficiently. PVC blisters are being shaped to contain pills in vacuum along with UV repellent layers to keep the drug cool.

2. Protection

Along with containment of the medicines, packaging shall also provide protection. Most drugs packed in pill and capsule form are volatile, outside of the packaging. When a drug is exposed to external factors like light, moisture, oxygen and bacterial contamination, it gets altered in form and doesn’t remain safe for use. Along with external factors, pharmaceutical packaging shall also provide efficient protection from mechanical shocks and tampering. Hence, every packaging shall have a tamper-proof build that provides proof of tamper. Which in turn tells the retailers and patients to not use a pack of medicine if certain proofs of tamper are found.

3. Presentation and Information

Packaging does hold the pharmaceutical, what it also includes is patient awareness, branding and crucial information about the drug. Even with blister packing, the machine remains the same but the format parts keep changing according to the product and market. Which is why every pharma brand keeps the blisters unique and recognisable even without the outer box. Patient information is an important step towards healthcare. The patient or any user taking over the counter medicine has the right to know what they’re putting into their system.

4. Convenience

The patient taking medication is already going through inconvenience, so the packaging must put ease to it. The pace of the world doesn’t allow everyone to remember all the kinds of pills they have to take. Especially if a treatment is spread over a course of months, there might be some medications that are to be taken in a schedule or once in a number of days. In that situation, elders are the ones that lose track of medicines. There are now a lot of technological advancements in providing relief to them.

Bottle packaging has been inefficient in a lot of cases where pills are forgotten or are spilled and then aren’t fit for consumption. PVC and alu alu blister packing uses heat sealing and cold forming machine operations that conveniently pack every pill in separate blisters giving the user a track of each pill. No spillage of pills and if the package slips off, the pills inside are still usable. Blister packaging is being adapted by a lot of pharma economies because of its efficient packaging and customization benefits. Blister packing machines from engineers and packaging solutions like Accupack are highly customizable with essential operator free blistering sessions with tool-less format part changeovers.

Due to the advancement in digital manufacturing tech, blister packing machines can be equipped with operational intelligence. If a blister packing line has a broken seal or blister the machine recognises the error and reports in real time. Operational intelligence in pharma packaging prevents defective medication even before the medicine goes out. The need arrives from the shifting industry standards of patient centric packaging.

Pharmaceutical packaging is moving towards being a heavily globalized industry. The majority of regulatory bodies have made it a requirement that pharmaceutical packaging be made sustainable for the future. With the past years’ records filled with accidental deaths and hospitalizations of children, child safety is no more an added feature but a standard one. Considering these factors, pharmaceutical packaging is developing with the world. With hundreds of customizable format parts and child safety packaging, blister machine suppliers in India and Asia like Accupack, can help with the growing competition.

With pharmaceuticals, pills, liquid medicine, etc. are all manufactured and tested all under controlled environments. The haphazard handling begins when the pills leave the labs. In that situation, the only thing protecting the medicine from altering and the patient from getting an infected dose is the packaging.

The world is moving towards an era with smarter surroundings (smart cars, smart homes, smart toilets, etc.) and smarter devices. The digital thermometer was just an onset of the engineering possibilities and we stand at robotic surgery for all less complex surgical tasks. With things growing smarter and convenient, pharmaceutical packaging too will have to move beyond packing medicines to transport. All users have different needs and the market has an upward turn of demand. The pharmaceutical market is predicted to reach a worth of 144.23 billion USD worldwide. Here’s how pharma is evolving for the digital world.

Evolving with New Challenges in the Industry

How do you always test the efficacy of a medicine? You put it to test among a calculated number of patients in a controlled environment while knowing their exact daily activity. But the world is 7 billion and there are always anomalies in nature. And if the drug is new, more so. One underlying condition is not diagnosed and there might be serious issues. So how do we get information about a medicine malfunctioning? Integrating the packaging with a smart QR Code and turning it online for recognition. Allowing tracking, supply chain control and patient adherence through phones.

Smart packaging is basically the use of technology to keep an eye over the whole life cycle of the product from inventory to the retailer to the users. It can also be used to aid people working in the medical field and patients at home to use the medicine correctly and in adherence to dosage.

As the market grows more people jump in only with the want of money. Smart pharmaceutical packaging allows stakeholders to overcome multiple struggles through this complex market. Now with COVID-19 and globalization, there are a lot of emerging economies and markets that will have competitors and worse, counterfeits. With the fast paced expansion time of the pharma industry, the increasing international regulations require smarter techniques to prove efficiency and patient centered approach of the product line.

Developments in Smart Packaging

In pharmaceutical packaging the calendarised blister packaging has been an achievement. But in smart packaging of products, there can be two things the packaging will do. Active packaging which can keep the product efficient for use while improving dispensing or packaging that can gather data about the product and its functionality in the market.

The most efficient benefit of smart packaging and Internet of Things is the communication that can be laid between the patient and the healthcare provider. Especially during the pandemic, this technology is being used to decentralize the test being conducted with the subjects being in their initial environment. Most of it is made possible with the use of wearable health bands. Which allows the healthcare provider to track the heart rate and pulse, temperature, blood oxygen levels, breathing rate, and even some brain activity. Making such data available in real life can be a bridge to quicker medical help and efficiency of treatment.

A lot of medicine packaging integrated with QR codes also gives the user important information about the usage and cautions about using an over the counter medicine. It can also be synced with the smart health device to initiate dosage reminders and track changes in the body before and after taking medication.

With enhanced features in packaging safety and child resistance cannot be in the shadows. Smart packaging is under development for RFID Chip based packaging that can work on microbatteries and refills. These blister packs can be directly connected to the smartwatch or health band. If the packaging senses shock it will alert the patient to make sure the medicine wasn’t altered. Whenever a blister is opened, the chip will alert the patient so that the medicine doesn’t get in the hands of a child.

Smart Packaging Benefits for Stakeholders

Smart packaging might be looking like an expensive deal with the R&D budget but in the long term, with the advantages it provides the stakeholders can get to a point where complaints halt and patients are happy. With smart packaging integrated into the system, the stakeholders can have a 360° view and control over the whole operation. From testing to supply and back to efficiency ratings, there is a lot of potential in product development and word of mouth marketing.

When smart packaging connects the healthcare providers and patients, both their lives become easy. Along with improved adherence to dosages fixed by the doctors, smart packaging can improve patient information or provide feedback on improvement if possible. The more informed the patient, the lesser the accidents and fatalities will be with wrong or accidental dosages.

There might certainly be drawbacks in the initial stages like data theft and counterfeiting, but smart packaging is soon going to be integrated with perennial or remote encryption which can prevent personal or confidential patient data from being used for criminal purposes. As the future moves faster, you too need to be fast for your demandees. Packaging solutions can be made easier with Accupack.