There are many different elements that go into getting a medication on the market. Before a medication can be approved by a patient’s insurance company — or made available in general — it has to jump through many hoops, including clinical trials, approval by the FDA, and much more. Clinical trials project management is a part of all of this; and as much as we’d like to think that a medication can “pass” with flying colors and hit the shelves, that’s simply not the case. There is more to consider with medication than positive results. In fact, pharma packaging plays a bigger role in how quickly our medication is processed and approved than you might initially imagine. A type of medication can hardly be put on the market without safe packaging, especially if the medication has potentially harmful side effects and is unsafe around children. To understand why packaging plays such a big role with things like clinical trials project management, let’s look into what kinds of packaging services are the most effective.
Blister Card Packaging: What Is It?
One of the most commonly-used forms of medical packaging is blister packaging, or blister pack packaging. Most likely, if you’ve ever taken prescription medication you have received your medication in the form of blister packaging at some point in your life. This form of packaging has a cavity or “pocket” that is made of formable web. The formable nature of this material makes the product safer and less likely to experience damage in transport. It can also be made with PVC and foil combinations, rendering the packaging itself more durable than other forms of packaging. You may be familiar with this packaging as a “clamshell”, as its final form often resembles that shape. Its peelable lamination allows for easy access of the medication. However, this packaging might not be chosen during clinical trials project management stages for the types of medication that could harm small children. While its easy access makes it more convenient for people on the go, it isn’t exactly the safest. Nonetheless, this is the perfect packaging for medication taken regularly, like birth control pills for example. The more child-proof form of packaging often comes in the form of bottle packaging.
Bottle Packaging: For Medication With Safety Needs
During the clinical trials project management stage, bottle packaging may be chosen for medication meant to be taken in the shorter-term, particularly if it has heavy side effects or could be toxic to individuals who aren’t supposed to take it. Bottle packaging often comes with liners or seals that maintain the product’s untouched state. This is an important consideration when medication is potentially susceptible to the elements. Certain medications must stay a specific temperature at all times, and bottle packaging can maintain that temperature. It has the added benefit of being easily portable, which means that you can travel with your medication without worrying about heat or cold affecting its effectiveness. Bottle packaging also often comes with serialisation codes, which means that packaging companies are more effectively able to track and identify the medication during shipping. Thus the process is made easier for both recipients of the medication, and those involved in its production and dispersal. As previously mentioned, perhaps the greatest advantage of bottle packaging is its inherent safety. Bottle caps for medication can come in several forms, including twist off, snap off, and child safe.
Of course, the above mentioned forms of packaging are simply two among many. There are several other forms of packaging for medication available. While blister packaging and bottle packaging may work for pill form medication, there is also liquid medication on the market. This kind of medication may be better served by pouch packaging or sachets. There may even be a time when a pre filled syringe is the best way to dispense medication to a patient. The most important thing when it comes to packaging is providing patients with medication that they can easily access and keep safe.
