Adapting and Thriving in a Dynamic Market

Most package printers and converters print primary packaging for a wide range of consumer and industrial products. All have standardized processes and procedures that ensure each item they produce is printed correctly before going on to the next step in the supply chain. Overall quality ranges from good enough to spectacular, but when it comes to pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals, the bar for end-to-end accuracy and quality is set a bit higher.

And the definitions are different, too. In pharmaceutical circles, primary packaging is what directly holds the product, such as a capsule or tablet, and actually comes in contact with the product. This includes blister cards, thermoformed enclosures, bottles, pouch packaging, and more.

In some instances, these containers are designed and constructed in such a way that they can be the shelf-ready ones seen in stores or obtained from a pharmacy, but for many medications, a folded paperboard container is often considered secondary packaging. For example, folding carton filling, wallets for pills and tablets, kitting, point-of-purchase display packaging, and vial/parenteral labeling/packaging are all forms of secondary packaging. And, any of these may include versions for physician sample kits and hospital dose packaging.

Then there’s “compliance packaging” designed to meet specific regulatory requirements, such as tamper-evident and anti-counterfeiting containers, as well as packaging that’s child-resistant or senior-friendly. But no matter its function or how it is defined, pharmaceutical packaging is a very different world than the packaging of other consumer and industrial products.

Highly disciplined

This all adds a few layers of complexity to package printing and converting, making pharma and nutra the somewhat rarified realm of specialized companies such as Pharma Packaging Solutions of Clinton, TN. 

“It is very disciplined, very process oriented,” says Reid Lederer, company president, in describing the development of a package for a new medication. “Everyone connected to a product is involved: project managers, graphics and structural designers from our company and our customers, plus teams from printing and finishing. They all rally around each new product or package from the very beginning. If they don’t work this way something can fail, so disciplined communications are essential.”

Lederer says this approach puts every aspect of a package—and the intended use of its contents—on the table at one time so everyone involved can agree on responsibilities and the total scope of work. “This eliminates surprises and sets us up for success,” he says.

Pharma Packaging Solutions has used this approach in developing a number of packages designed to help users of the products it works with. For instance, managing dosage of a prescription med, and even some OTC (over-the-counter) healthcare products, can be vitally important. Packaging can be customized for such applications to help users take medications when needed and help ensure they are not under or over used.

However, the growth of generic drugs has driven a shift in demand for controlled dosage packaging. “The generic market has exploded in recent years and resulted in a shift away from controlled dosage mechanisms like blister packs and toward bottles,” says Lederer. “Bottles are easier and faster to fill in a production line and [many] only require a label.” In contrast, controlled dosage packaging often uses foil blister packs for the primary packaging, plus a paperboard sleeve or carton, adding time, cost and complexity to the process.

Fewer blockbusters

Not so long ago, new “wonder drugs” would burst forth with great fanfare. All needed packaging, and companies like Pharma Packaging could gear up for long runs and steady production volumes. That’s less true today. With more specialized needs being met with heavily marketed drugs, “there are fewer ‘blockbuster’ drugs rolling out each year,” says Lederer, “With fewer of these products, we need to adapt to market needs. Agility is essential for the quick changeovers and efficiencies needed to serve the realities of these markets.”

One would think this changing demand would drive a shift to digital printing, but Lederer has resisted that move. Instead, Pharma Packaging partners with two companies that have digital presses and can meet the stringent standards of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical packaging. “For now, our needs are best served by partnering rather than acquiring a digital asset and bringing it in house.”

New Challenges

A growing challenge is security and anti-counterfeiting, including new federal track-and-trace rules that must be followed precisely. Pharma Packaging is continually evolving hard-to-copy features such as holograms, internal labeling, unique coatings and more, the most interesting details of which—quite understandably—are not open for public discussion.

But no matter the challenge, the highly disciplined approach of Pharma Packaging Solutions is likely to be up to the task of ensuring the quality and reliability of a wide range of medications and nutraceuticals.