When we purchase medication, we expect it to meet certain standards. This is the responsibility of several different agencies. However, it is up to the pharmaceutical packaging industry to ensure the products it manufactures and then packages achieve and maintains these set criteria. Those who are in the business strive to ensure all medical packaging fulfills the five basic functions of pharmaceutical packaging.
Five Functions of Pharmaceutical Packaging
Packaging any medical products demands the following of strict guidelines. It means adhering to certain rigid expectations. In addition to producing and even packaging the products in safe, clean room environments, medical packaging companies must ensure the products function accordingly. They must offer
1. Containment: Packaging prevents the product from scattering, the contents becoming lost. Containers are usually leak-proof and child proof as well as attractive and functional.
2. Protection: The container must protect the contents from degradation, counterfeiting and adulteration. In fact, packaging needs to safeguard the contents from a variety of forces that may adversely impact on the medication
3. Identification: For the packaging to function properly, consumers must be able to identify the contents as well as the manufacturer. The labeling must be clear and concise
4. Information: Most medical products packaging usually provides consumers with basic and critical information about the contents either through the labels or inserts
5. Convenience: Consumers want packaging that is easy to access. They want the information to be readily available.
These basic issues face companies who packages medical products.
Medical Packaging
The pharmaceutical packaging industry is not slowing down. Although stringent regulations restrict all medical packaging, it does not have an effect on the rate of production. Companies continue to work with agencies and the latest technological advances to ensure the public receives products safe for use. At the same time, the industry is also driven by the need to ensure all measures taken are efficient and result in a profit.
