Spoiling the ship

Compared with the excitement of discovering a new drug, the suspense of putting it through clinical trials and the anticipation of developing a manufacturing process to take it into the commercial arena, choosing a pack in which to put it seems a rather mundane part of the overall development process.

And yet it can be as crucial to a product's success as any of the other stages of getting a drug to market.

In the pharmaceutical sector perhaps more than in any other industry the packaging performs a multiplicity of roles. Aside from containing, protecting and transporting a product and giving it a brand identity, the pack can also play a crucial part in identifying the contents, lot number and expiry date, dispensing the drug, verifying its authenticity, facilitating patient compliance, preventing counterfeiting, extending product life and ensuring that instructions and warnings are made available to the patient.

The pack also has to strike a happy medium between preventing access by children but not restricting it for the elderly or those with manual or vision limitations.

Almost as much time and effort goes into developing the packaging materials and machinery as is put into creating the drug itself, and yet in many cases it is still viewed as an afterthought. In view of the enormous cost of pharmaceutical r&d, to leave the choice of the packaging to the last minute and to give it minimal consideration is very much a case of spoiling the ship for a ha"p"orth of tar.

But given that the packaging lines in a pharma manufacturing facility have probably the lowest overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) levels in the plant, it is probably not surprising that packaging is well down the list of priorities - out of sight, out of mind, would seem to be the watchword.

This month sees the UK's largest packaging exhibition take place in Birmingham, where the latest, most innovative packs and machines will be on display. This year also sees a new category introduced to the Starpack Awards specifically for pharmaceutical packs, the results of which will be announced on May 15. You will be able to read about the winning pack or packs on the website - www.manufacturing-chemist.info - the next day.

A selection of the latest innovations in the pharmaceutical packaging sector are featured in this issue, but there are many more in the pipeline so watch this space.