Pharmaceutical designers and manufacturers are constantly debating what type of medical packaging is ideal. As a consumer, you have probably come across various types of medical packaging, including blister packaging, bottles, temperature sensitive bottles, and even injections. While these are the most common types of pharmaceutical packaging available, there are many more on the market. Each of these common packaging products has their own advantages and disadvantages to medicine storage and administration.
Blister packaging
The best blister packaging techniques are just one of the forms of vial pharmaceutical packaging available. You often see blister packaging for individual pills that are temperature or light sensitive. The individual packaging allows the medications to be stored and opened separately, thus preserving the contents of the package and making them more effective. Blister packaging may also be more child proof friendly than other types of vial pharmaceutical packaging methods. For medicine and pharmaceuticals, blister packaging can be completed with child safe features so only adults can open the packaging.
One of the cons of blister packaging is that it can be difficult to open. Because the medications are stored separately, they must be created in a more secure form. This secure form can make it difficult for some to open, especially those dealing with arthritis or other degenerative medical conditions. These medications also expire rather quickly, not making them ideal for medication that is not used frequently.
Bottled medications
Bottles are perhaps, the most common type of pharmaceutical packaging on the market. You will find that the majority of over the counter medications and prescription medications come in a bottle. Bottles are easy to open and provide the fastest fill possibility. The bottles are also made with child proof features, making them difficult for young children to open, but simple for adults to open, regardless of their medical restrictions. Bottling is also easier for coding identification purposes. Several bottle packaging options include bar code printing for identification purposes, often used in the packaging of pharmaceuticals.
The downside to bottled vial pharmaceutical packaging, however, is that all of the medication must be stored together. Although this is not a usually a problem, it can make things tricky for air sensitive medications, as the bottle is opened and closed multiple times throughout the day. Additionally, bottles do not provide any type of medication tracking system, making it difficult to remember if and how many a person has taken of that specific drug throughout the day.
Temperature sensitive bottles
Temperature sensitive bottles are not as common, but are occasionally used. They provide the same benefits of bottled medications, but solve the problem of storing air or temperature resistant medications. Temperature sensitive bottles are great for clinical storage of medications that must be kept cooled, or below a specific heat temperature.
Although useful for some purposes, temperature sensitive medications are not very transportable. Because they must be kept in a cool location, it can be difficult to transport the medications. It can also be difficult to take as needed, if you are not in a location with cooling capabilities. Clinical label design and print services may also be more difficult to design, as the cool temperatures of the fridge cause them to wear off quicker.
Injectable medications
Injections are sometimes needed for certain medical conditions, including diabetes and autoimmune diseases. These medications come in a temperature resistant injectable device. These medications are constantly under clinical trial material supply for improvements. Currently, there has not been enough vial pharmaceutical packaging research available to improve upon them.
Pharmaceuticals are a billion dollar industry in the United States. In 2011 alone, the U.S. pharmacy and drug store sales amounted to about 231.46 billion dollars. Analytical and research services are always looking for ways to improve current pharmaceutical packaging methods. The most common methods are useful and provide good storage to medications, but still have their disadvantages. The goal is to solve these problems and find a pharmaceutical packaging method that is transportable, convenient, and temperature resistant.
