Your Guide to Smart Healthcare Packaging

Health care has always been at the forefront for any responsible community. Efficient health care ensures a developing economy and industrialization, thus paving the path for success. With Covid taking a toll on everyday life, the sector impacted the most is undoubtedly, the healthcare industry. Since the start of the Novel Coronavirus, everyone is counting on health care policies, research, and development.

The research for effective vaccines and manufacturing facilities have all witnessed a drastic boost. Hospitals show another gloomy yet accurate picture of patients relying on ventilators and medical supplies than ever before.

The importance of Health care can't be stressed enough, and so does the role of packaging in the health industry. The packaging's vital purpose is to protect medication and related medical products from any possible damages as they move from the medicine manufacturing facility to the patients.

With the nature of products as sensitive as medicines, be it OTC Prescription or supplements, Custom Medicine Boxes play an imperative role. These boxes are manufactured to keep the medication safe from any external hazards, chemical reaction, and contamination, as it protects from extreme light and temperature. Protection from UV rays is ensured by solid and thick packaging, as the medicines are distributed from one place to another and are stocked for a period of time. No health professional nor a patient can afford negligence in handling medicine, and that's precisely what Custom Medicine Boxes aim to provide:’Safety'! These medicine boxes can be customized according to medicine's specifications, labels, and branding.

What is Smart Packaging?

● Smart packaging forms an effective connection between manufacturers, consumers, retailers, and social media channels through digital technologies. Smart packaging revolves around: Active packaging. I.e., improving the shelf life of the medicines and
● Intelligent Packaging, i.e., going over and beyond the traditional packaging. An example of intelligent packaging is packaging with NFC (near field communication) chips. Using an NFC reader, primarily smartphones, it is possible to read the package's insert and facilitate reordering of the medication.

Types of Pharmaceutical Packaging:

The packaging materials widely used for pharmaceutical packaging include chipboard packaging, plastic boxes, corrugated boxes, paper board boxes and foil sealed bags, etc. Though packaging in the pharmaceutical industry is different from one medicine specification to another, we can broadly categorize it into three types:

● Primary Packaging: The packaging that foremostly comes in contact with the product. Or the first packaging that the product holds, e.g., prefilled syringes, blister packs, sachet packaging, etc.

● Secondary Packaging: Example Cartons, boxes, packaging containers that hold the primary packaging. OBT Packaging, with years of versatile packaging manufacturing, offers a wide array of these packaging, including customization according to the brand's specifications.

● Tertiary Packaging: Packaging used for the bulk handling of secondary packaging for shipment, e.g., Container and barrel, etc.

Essentials of a reliable Pharmaceutical Packaging:

● Convenient usage. The consumers should be able to open, close, and handle the packaging with ease.
● Stand out from other products in the market.
● It helps inform consumers about the product, including how to handle the product, ingredients, expiry date, manufacturer details, and much more.
● Safety of the products inside. This includes protection from any spills, moisture, seal protection, and any environmental hazards.
● Complying with the regulations set by government and industry.
● A means to advertise and promote the product.
Health Counter Display boxes will always remain a handy storage tool for pharmacy and health care facilities. These display boxes aim to maximize the visibility and reputation of the health care product and thus, maximize reach. These health counter display boxes are manufactured keeping in mind the user-friendly function, as it is held on the counters for easy accessibility of customers/patients. The custom die-cut packaging enhances product presentation.

Pharmaceutical Packaging Challenges:

Let's have a look at the challenges that Pharma packaging deals with.
● Compliance Risk Management: This is the packaging in compliance with the medicine and requirements laid by the pharmaceutical company. This includes: Ensuring proper temperature, humidity, and aging factor. How much weight can a packaging carry? Are the labels legible? And various other checklists.
● Sealed to Protection: The sealing process is key to ensure the medicines are protected from the temperature. Are the heat-sealing temperatures high and effective enough to activate the sealant layer yet ensure that the package is not over sealed?
● Speedy Market access: The efficient speed for the medicines to reach the consumers is a significant component for effective healthcare. Have you studied the shelf life of your medicine along with temperature, humidity, and other factors?

Irrespective of the specific healthcare packaging requirements, it is moral and corporate responsibility for any medicine manufacturer to make sure that the medicines are handled, packaged, and distributed in a reliable manner, as it’s a matter of the patient’s health.
We see pharmaceutical packaging evolve drastically over the past few decades. As the Research and Development of medicines are advancing, so does the innovation and versatility of its packaging. The safe packaging protects the medication from bacteria, damage, germs, chemical reaction, and external atmosphere and ensures the product is out of a child's reach.