The science, art, and technology of packaging involve confining or safeguarding goods for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Pharma packaging now accounts for a sizable share of the entire Indian medication market. Earlier, it was just concerned with maintaining the integrity of the medication inside. The pharmaceutical sector is the ideal setting for packaging innovation. The majority of sectors use product packaging as a way to protect and preserve goods as well as share marketing and legal information with consumers. Efficiency and intelligence in packaging, including compliance packaging, anti-counterfeit packaging, etc., have more promise in the pharmaceutical industry than in any other sector, if not more so. One of the key goals of pharmaceutical packaging firms is to keep pharmaceuticals safe from youngsters while still being accessible to elders. Self-filling a syringe can be a laborious process that takes a lot of time and increases the risk of incorrect dosages and spills. Self administered medications become more convenient and accurate with the use of prefilled syringes. NFC tags are placed to all packaging so that a customer can touch the code with an NFC-enabled mobile phone and have the audio play back on their device. The pharmacy personnel will also speak the dosage instructions to anyone who is blind or visually challenged. Robotics are typically used to automate manual processes that already exist, such as loading cartoners, horizontal form fill seal machines, or blister machines. In these situations, the benefits include greater speed, efficiency, and equipment efficacy as a whole. Additional benefits could include cheap cost, reduced injury, and eliminating rework. Robots that are incredibly consistent and accurate work around-the-clock and include features like line tracking and vision. Today's pharmaceutical sector is undergoing a lot of changes. The government and patients put pressure on medicine manufacturers to cut costs. Due to the desire for affordable medications, the market's growth has shifted from the beginning to the mature phase. Price reduction results from this. Poor patient compliance is another issue that drives up healthcare costs, and in response, drug producers and investors want to see significantly lower failure rates and larger returns on investment.

1. RECENT TRENDS IN PHARMACEUTICAL PACKAGING
TECHNOLOGY
Subject :- Product Development (PHSCC1202)
DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES
Dr. HARISINGH GOUR VISHWAVIDYALAYA
Sagar ( M.P)- 470003, India
(A Central University )
SUBMITTED BY :-
SUMIT S. KOLTE
( M Pharm Sem I,
Pharmaceutics )
SUBMITTED TO:-
Prof. S. K. Jain
(Professor , DOPS )
Prof. Dharmendra Jain
(Professor , DOPS )
Session 2023-2024

2. CONTENTS
Introduction
Selection Of Packaging
Advantages Of Packaging
Categories Of Pharmaceutical Packaging Materials
Materials Used For Pharmaceutical Packaging
Recent Packaging Technologies
Future Of Pharmaceutical Packaging Technology
Conclusion
References

3. INTRODUCTION
 Packaging is defined as a technique which allows containment of pharmaceutical
product from the time of production in a unit till its use.
 Role of pharmaceutical packaging is to provide lifesaving drugs, surgical devices,
blood and blood products, nutraceuticals, powders, poultices, liquid and dosage
forms, solid and semisolid dosage forms.
 Packaging of pharmaceuticals essentially provides containment, drug safety,
identity, convenience of handling and delivery.
 Pharmaceutical packaging has to balance lots of complex considerations.
 Leaving behind relatively simple issues such as developing good designs and
communicating with customers, pharmaceutical packagers are concerned to more
pressing concerns which include counterfeiting, encouraging patient compliance,
ensuring drug integrity and balancing child-resistance and accessibility for the
elderly.
 Issue of environment safety is also key concern for both developed and
developing countries in packaging industry.

4. SELECTION OF PACKAGING
 The packaging materials used should possess the ideal characteristics such as…
1. Protection from environmental conditions such as humidity, temperature etc.
2. The product packed in the container must be non-reactive to the container
enclosing it.
3. The odor and the taste of the product must not be altered.
4. The packaging material must be non-toxic.
5. FDA approved packaging materials must be used.
6. Requirements such as tamper-resistance must be maintained.
7. The packaging material to be used should be easily adaptable to high speed
packaging equipment

5. ADVANTAGES OF PACKAGING
1. The product uniformity is maintained during packaging.
2. The integrity of dosage form is maintained.
3. The side effects are minimized and the inert environment is maintained and protected
from contamination.
4. Packaging enhances the shelf life of the product preventing deterioration of the
product, thus enhancing better stability.
5. Minimizes the side effects.

6. CATEGORIES OF PHARMACEUTICAL
PACKAGING MATERIALS
 Primary Packaging :- The material that first envelops the product and holds it.
This is the smallest unit of distribution or use and is the package which is in direct
contact with contents.
 Example: Ampules, IV containers
 Secondary Packaging :- It is outside the primary packaging used to group primary
packages together.
 Example: cartons box
 Tertiary Packaging It is used for bulk handling, warehouse storage and transport
shipping.
 Example: containers, barre

7. MATERIALS USED FOR PHARMACEUTICAL
PACKAGING
 Traditionally, the majority of medicines (51%) have been taken orally by tablets or
capsules, which are either packed in blister packs (very common in Europe and
Asia) or fed into plastic pharmaceutical bottles(especially in the USA).
 Powders, pastilles and liquids also make up part of the oral medicine intake.
 However, other methods for taking medicines are now being more widely used.
 These include parenteral or intravenous(29%), inhalation (17%), and transdermal
(3%) methods.
 These changes have made a big impact on the packaging industry and there is an
increasing need to provide tailored, individual packaging solutions, which
guarantee the effectiveness of medicines.

8. RECENT PACKAGING TECHNOLOGIES
1. Blow-fill-seal technology
2. Child resistant packaging
3. Prefilled syringes in parenteral packaging
4. Safety ampoule breakers
5. Anti –counterfeit packaging technologies
6. Plasma impulse chemical vapor deposition
7. Ziplock bags
8. Eco –friendly packaging
9. Radio frequency identification (RFID)
10.QR code based pharmaceutical packaging
11.Dispensing caps
12.The talking packaging. "self talk”

9. BLOW-FILL-SEAL TECHNOLOGY
 Plastic containers are made, filled with sterile filtered product, and sealed in an
uninterrupted sequence of activities using aseptic blow-fill-seal (BFS) technology, all
within the controlled sterile environment of a single machine.
 A special mix of packaging design flexibility, cheap operating costs, and high sterility
assurance is provided by blow-fill-seal systems.
 The devices are relatively space-efficient and only require a minimal number of
operators
 The most common polymers employed in the process are polypropylene and low- and
high-density polyethylene
 Blow-fill-seal process :-
 CONTAINER MOULDING –
o Continuous tubular extrusion of thermoplastic is shown in Figure 1a.
o The mould closes and the parison is cut when the tube reaches the desired length
[Figure 1b].
o A set of retaining jaws holds the top of the parison in place while the bottom is
pinched shut.
o The mould is then moved into place beneath the filling station

10.  CONTAINER FILLING:
o Until the nozzles create a seal with the mold's neck, the nozzle assembly is
lowered into the cavity [Figure 1c].
o By applying a vacuum to the mold-side of the container and blowing sterile,
filtered air inside of it, the container is formed.
o A exact dosage of the product is delivered into the container by the innovative
electronic fill mechanism. Then, the nozzles return to their initial position.
 CONTAINER SEALING:
o The top of the container stays semi-molten after the filling procedure is finished.
o The top of the container is formed and hermetically sealed using separate seal
moulds that close [Figure 1d].
o The container is subsequently carried out of the machine once the mould opens
[Figure 1e].
o The process is then repeated to create a new container that is filled.
o Depending on the design of the container and the volume of liquid to be filled, the
time of the entire cycle ranges from 10 to 18 seconds.

11. Advantages of BFS Technology :-
 BFS technology makes the aseptic preparation of sterile medications more reliable
since it requires less staff involvement.
 There are less validation requirements.
 Preservatives are not required, as they are with multi-dosage containers, because
the technique is well suited to the creation of single dose containers.
 Compared to traditional aseptic filling, BFS machine operation requires less
labour.

12. Animation video of blow fill seal systems

13. CHILD RESISTANT PACKAGING
 Child-resistant packaging (CRP) or C-R packaging is special packaging used to
reduce the risk of children ingesting dangerous items.
 The CRP containers can not be open by children but can be opened by adults.
 This is often accomplished by the use of a special safety cap with locking mechanism.
BENEFITS AND ACCEPTANCE OF CHILD-RESISTANT PACKAGING :-
• The contribution of child-resistant packaging to the avoidance of child poisoning.
• Mouthwash and other non-regulated items are frequently packaged in child-resistant
packaging, and blister packs are frequently tested to a higher standard of child
resistance than that required as a minimum by EN 14375.
Animation video of child resistant packaging

14. PREFILLED SYRINGES IN PARENTERAL PACKAGING
 Prefilled syringes have benefits for the pharmaceutical industry that include
reducing drug waste, extending the life of the product, and boosting market share.
 Prefilled syringes are acknowledged as an effective, dependable, and practical
drug delivery approach for healthcare professionals.
 Prefilled syringes have a wide range of advantages that make them popular,
including convenience, adaptability for home usage, a decrease in product waste,
and higher dose precision
 Prefilled medications increase patient safety by lowering the risk of accidental
needle sticking and product exposure that can happen when taking medication
from vials
 prefilled syringes help decrease dosing errors and improve patient compliance.

15. SAFETY AMPOULE BREAKERS
 Ampoules are small glass vessels in which liquids for injections are hermetically
sealed.
 They are opened by snapping off the glass top at the neck.
 The scoring at the neck does not always break where it is intended
 SafeBreaK™ is a safety ampoule breaker and it avoids dangerous glass filing
required during breaking the ampoule.
 SafeBreaK™ prevents cross contamination.

16. ANTI –COUNTERFEIT PACKAGING TECHNOLOGIES
 Packaging serves as a link between production and marketing, ensuring that
products are delivered from the manufacturing facility to the consumer base in a
secure state at the lowest possible cost.
 Product security issues include counterfeiting.
 Anti-counterfeiting packaging is the process of secure packaging that prevents
imitation and confirms safety of the goods.
 The issue of counterfeiting is connected to products that are sold after their
expiration date, distributed outside of their proper distribution channels, or have
their packaging altered
 "A counterfeit medicine is one that has been purposefully and falsely mislabeled
in accordance with identity and/or source.
 Both branded and generic products that contain the right or wrong components,
lack active substances, or have fabricated packaging might be considered
counterfeit.
 Anti-counterfeit packaging solutions such as holograms, laser coding , Digital
watermarks, 2-D barcodes, forensic techniques, radio frequency identification
(RIF), visible or overt features, hidden or covert markers, as well as track and
trace solutions are protecting consumers from counterfeit products.

17. PLASMA IMPULSE CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION
 Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) is a chemical vapor deposition
process used to deposit thin films from a gas state (vapor) to a solid state on a
substrate. Chemical reactions are involved in the process, which occur after creation of a
plasma of the reacting gases.
 Major advantage of PVD coatings are: hardness, wear resistance, and improved oxidation
resistance.
 Plasma Impulse Chemical Vapor Deposition has been effective in coating high volume
glass products, such as pharmaceutical vials, ampoules & syringes, even though it was
developed by Schott Glass.
 PICVD coating produces an obstruction against the passage of oxygen gas that can no
longer enter and carbon dioxide emitted can no longer escape. The contents therefore have
a longer shelf life with no effect on their taste.

18. ZIPLOCK BAGS
 Ziplock bags are recent common developments in package design, offering a
lightweight and convenient way of securing both conventional and cannabis-based
medicine.
 Ziplock packaging is a single-entry design requiring mature dexterity in order to
open a zipper to reach the contents.
 Many designs also have a flap that, when the bag is closed, covers the zipper,
disguising the entry point as an additional protection layer
 Packaging suppliers also have a responsibility to clearly mark child-resistant
packaging for customers.

19. ECO –FRIENDLY PACKAGING
 The term "eco-friendly," often referred to as "environmentally friendly," "nature-
friendly," or "green packaging materials," refers to packaging that uses materials
that are safe for the environment in its creation in order to cause little to no harm
to the environment.
 Eco-labels are frequently used to identify these environmentally friendly
pharmaceutical packaging materials.
 The majority of pharmaceutical businesses can meet their needs with greener
packaging ideas without harming the environment
 Eco-friendly packaging should be well-designed, streamlined, biodegradable, and
easily recyclable or reusable, among other qualities

20.  Need for the Development of Eco Friendly Packaging Material:-
• Protecting the environment from the harmful effects of pharmaceutical packaging
materials must also be a priority
• Traditional environmentally acceptable pharmaceutical packaging accounts for a
very small portion of waste, but its disposal can also have negative effects on the
environment
 Qualities of Eco Friendly Pharmaceutical Packaging Material :-
 Reduce
 Recycle
 Reuse
 Renew
 Repurpose

21. Radio frequency identification (RFID)
 RFID is a wireless data collection technique that identifies items using radio waves
 RFID systems' fundamental idea is that goods should be marked with tags
 The transponders in these tags transmit messages that can be read by specialist RFID
readers.
THE NEED FOR RFID EDUCATION :-
 The technology known as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is becoming into a key
tool for tracking assets and shipments globally.
 It can aid logistics providers in better managing moveable assets, pharmaceutical
businesses in reducing counterfeiting, and hospitals in more swiftly locating pricey
equipment to improve patient care.

22. QR CODE BASED PHARMACEUTICAL PACKAGING
 Designing a QR code on pharmaceutical packaging to enhance patient compliance
and minimize medication and prescription errors.
 The method for creating QR codes on pharmaceutical packaging is part of the
current disclosure.
 Using quick response software and scanners, quick response codes offer a variety
of information that is simple to scan
 In this specific strategy, we gather data regarding the drug and then build a
database using that data
 To fit inside the QR code, the database is converted to pdf and multimedia.

23. DISPENSING CAPS
 Store dry or liquid supplements separately from the water- released by the
consumer they form an energy or vitamin Drinks or medicinal drinks.
 Everything from pharmaceuticals to nutraceuticals, from anti-aging to anti-
oxidants, from vitamin to functional supplements, from male potency to functional
supplements, and so on can be packed and properly dosed by a dispensed cap.
 It is generally claimed that pills and capsules have a very short window of
absorption while Liquid absorption is much higher –around 80-90 %

24. THE TALKING PACKAGING. "SELF TALK”
 A system which can be invisibly integrated into any printed image on any
packaging material, but need a special scanning pen.
 A recent development by VTT technical research central of Finland using tags
with NFC (Near Field Communication) based technology connected to NFC-
enabled mobile phones to download text, audio or web page product information,
which can be played back on their handset
 Talk-Pack–WIPAC :-
 A special pen –shaped reader is used to retrieve the stored information and to
replay it as audio files and render speech, music or sound an audible
 the consumer can obtain information on the manufacturer, brand, shelf-life or
other information
 NFC tags :-
 NFC tags are added to any packaging so a consumer could touch the code on the
packaging with their NFS-enabled mobile phone to download text, audio or
information, which can be played back on his phone.
 Delivered vocal dosage instructions from pharmacy staff, to aid a visually
impaired or blind person.

25. Talk-Pack–WIPAC :-
NFC tags :-

26. FUTURE OF PHARMACEUTICAL PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY
 A Changing pharmaceutical industry
 Changes in pharmaceutical industry research and manufacturing technologies have driven
significant developments in packaging and delivery systems.
 An increase in the number of large molecule, biopharmaceutical drugs in development
pipelines has led to an increase in the need for injectable packaging and administration
systems.
 The old glass and elastomer closure systems may not provide the effective barrier
properties needed for high value, lifesaving therapies.
 Component manufacturers have responded with new materials and technologies that ensure
extended drug product shelf life.
 Many new biotechnology derived drug therapies are unstable in liquid form and therefore
are introduced as lyophilized or dry powder dosage forms.
 Lyophilized drugs need special stoppers for optimal performance in lyophilization
chambers.
 The stoppers must solve the problem of the stopper sticking to the lyophilization shelf after
the cycle is completed.
 In addition, lyophilized drugs typically are reconstituted at the point of care, thus requiring
patient friendly administration systems.

27. • The increase in self administered therapies
 Decades ago, healthcare revolved around hospital care.
 Today, healthcare often revolves around the home a situation that has largely
resulted from cost constraints and the introduction of maintenance type drugs for
treating chronic conditions such as arthritis, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and other
diseases that require frequent medication.
 Many of these maintenance therapies are delivered by injection, spurring a need
for patient friendly administration systems.
 These systems must ensure the potency of the drug, be tamper evident, help deter
counterfeiting, promote compliance with a dosing regimen, ensure dosing
accuracy, and be as safe, easy to use and painless as possible.
 When self administered drugs are in lyophilized or dry powder form,
manufacturers must find methods or packaging systems that help prevent
accidental needle stick injuries, inaccurate.

28. CONCLUSION
 In the era of globalization, it would be a challenge for the packaging industry, as
the years ahead would witness the opening of the global channels, and to match
the international standards and quality,
 it is necessary that packaging industry upgrades more in research to have a holistic
approach to packaging that would go beyond functional aspect of packaging
 Presently, very few pharmaceutical industries spend time and money on R and D
in packaging
 The conventional packages available do not serve the purpose of providing
protection against counterfeiting and quality, and the industry seems to be sluggish
in adopting the technical advances in the packaging, probably on account of the
prohibitive cost factor.
 As packaging industry is directly or indirectly involved in the drug manufacturing
process, it becomes ethically mandatory to understand and incorporate scientific
methods in packaging.
 The pharmaceutical packaging trends are on the verge of innovative rapid growth
provided the needs of the product, its security, cost and patient convenience is
taken into consideration to build brand identity.

29. REFERENCES
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Pharma Med Press, First Reprint, 2009; 1-16.
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