The child-resistant and senior-friendly pharmaceutical packaging solution Stora Enso Pharma SHR is taking a major step forward with the installation of the first packaging system at the premises of healthcare contract packer TestPak in the US in June 2006.
The first production machine to be installed at the TestPak facilities in New Jersey is a flexible, semi-automatic machine with a variety of package configuration options. Stora Enso Pharma SHR is a jointly developed packaging solution, with paperboard producer Stora Enso providing the package design and a special tear-resistant board material and Bosch Packaging providing the machines and worldwide service.
Pharma SHR has been tested successfully in Europe and the US to the highest standards of child-resistance and senior-friendliness. It is suitable for unit-dose packages such as blister cards but can also be used for ampoules, vials, syringes and pouches.
"The reclosable outer carton provides full F=1 child-resistant performance, which means that package developers now have an unprecedented degree of design flexibility with the internal contents," explains Bill Eveleth, Vice President Sales and Marketing, TestPak. "As a result, there are major benefits for user-friendliness, cost, tooling, development lead-time, and platform consistency."
"Stora Enso is working on several packaging projects with pharmaceutical companies relating to the Pharma SHR package. The decision of TestPak to acquire the first Pharma SHR packaging machine will provide production capacity and contract packaging service to companies seeking an innovative solution for child-resistant and senior-friendly compliance packaging," says Ismo Saarinen, director, pharmaceutical solutions, Stora Enso.
"Our decision to partner with Stora Enso was based on the extensive design effort on the part of Stora Enso that resulted in a highly effective packaging system, including an intuitive dual-lock mechanism for convenient access by seniors. There are also diverse safety features to ensure durability and child safety. We also foresee wide applicability for Pharma SHR throughout the product life-cycle for commercial products as well as for sampling and as a flexible clinical platform,' Eveleth concludes.