Pharmaceutical packaging refers to the process of packaging medicinal products. It is a very crucial part of the development of any product. Packaging helps in making a product look attractive and also safeguards them from any type of external damage.
These kinds of damage include chemical damage and physical damage. Hence, the raw material used in the packaging of these products depends on the nature of the pharma products. There are majorly two types of pharmaceutical packaging which include primary packaging and secondary packaging.
Pharmaceutical packaging offers the security of drug products from any type of contamination that affects the effectiveness of pharma products. Here, we are providing all the information that you should know about pharmaceutical packaging. Continue reading this article to know more!
Reasons for Pharmaceutical Packaging
All the things in the business environment have some objectives attached to them. To fulfill that goal, firms invest in these activities. The packaging is a very important part of any product which makes it stand strong in the market. Although there are some different prospects of packaging a product in a firm a few of the reasons why packaging is important are as follows:
- The packaging gives identity to the product.
- It gives protection to drug products from various environmental damages.
- It helps the in the marketing of the products.
Apart from these, companies also spend a huge amount on the packaging because it makes their product look more attractive among the competitors.
Types of Pharmaceutical packaging
There are a few types of drug packaging, which include primary, secondary and tertiary packaging. Although, tertiary packaging is basically the packaging for transportation. Therefore, these category of packaging are as follows:
Primary Packaging
Primary packaging is a kind of packaging that immediately wraps the drug products. This primary packaging includes pre-filled syringes, labels & accessories, caps & closures, jars & canisters, pouches & strip packs, Bottles, ampoules medication tubes, cartridges, blisters, pre-filled inhalers, and vials. This primary packaging protects all the drug compounds from any chemical reaction due to their chemical properties. So, it is very important to utilize the right kind of packaging for drug products for maintaining their benefits.
Secondary Packaging
When we talk about secondary packaging, it includes cardboard boxes, temperature control packaging, and cartons. Such kind of components basically assembles all the pharma products together for marketing and selling purposes. Cartons and cardboards assist in collecting all the packaged drug products in one place to comfortably sell them to the retailers. Secondary packaging offers an additional layer of security to the products.
Tertiary Packaging
Transportation of any product becomes easy if those products packaged together in blocks. Tertiary packaging also refers to transportation packaging, you must have seen the huge wooden or cardboard boxes in which products assembled in lots and transported to various parts of the world. It is among the outer packaging of the products, which protects drug products from physical damage.
Raw Materials utilized in the packaging of drug products
When we talk about raw materials used in packaging pharma products, then these materials play an important role in packaging. Pharmaceutical packaging utilizes a broad range of materials like glass, paper, aluminum foil, plastic, and many more. Usage of these materials totally depends on the chemical properties of the drug product.
Furthermore, this broad spectrum of raw material needs to be researched before applying or using it in the packaging process. The type of material used in packaging also based on the dosage of the product, convenience of the customer, cost, the used sterilization technique, and method of filing.
There are many new and innovative packaging materials that accessible in the market, which utilizes in packaging pharma products. Type I, Type II, and Type III fall under the glass category whereas the Plastic category includes PET, HDPE, and PP. This group of plastic and glass is widely used in the packaging of drug products.
To sum up
The process of packaging pharma products is called pharmaceutical packaging. However, pharmaceutical packaging is different from another packaging because of the material used in drug packaging that is compatible with the drug. These kinds of products protect, identify and prevent the effects of drug products.
Pharmaceutical packaging includes three categories of packaging depending on the type of pharmaceutical packaging that includes primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging. Besides, the raw materials utilized in packaging are different than another packaging because of the drug type and its properties.
Furthermore, rising demand for primary packaging, rising health awareness and adoption of updated regulatory authorities, and the availability of user-friendly and environment-friendly materials are helping the pharmaceutical packaging companies to boom. Although, the availability of counterfeit products is restricting the growth of the pharmaceutical packaging market.