Pick and Peel blister offers various options
Colorado-based folding carton manufacturer Graphic Packaging Corporation has signed a licensing agreement with clinical trials services specialist ProClinical, of Philadelphia, to enable it to offer a child-resistant, senior-friendly pharmaceutical blisterpack using ProClinical's patented Pick and Peel system.
In May 2002, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission required clinical trials packaging to be child-resistant and senior-effective. 'This agreement with ProClinical gives us a product that meets the new government regulations,' explained Chris Madison, GPC's pharmaceutical sales and marketing manager. 'It also gives us access to the clinical trial marketplace.' GPC already includes Abbott Laboratories, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Johnson & Johnson among its pharmaceutical customers.
According ProClinical, the technology has the potential to improve patient compliance among participants in clinical trials. Dr Joseph Urban, senior director of technology, says that blistercards excel over vials and bottles in clinical trials. 'Our child-resistant/senior-friendly blistercard ensures each dose is child-resistant since access is gained to one dose and the remainder is still child-resistant. Blistercards assist with compliance since the patient can visually see which dose was taken and which dose may have been missed.' Furthermore, the fact that each dose is protection can aid product stability.
Manufacture of the newly licensed products will take place at Graphic Packaging's 120,000ft2 plant at Charlotte, North Carolina,
The new products were expected to be available from September following installation of ProClinical's machinery during August.