New child-resistant carton concept
Scandinavian packaging board producer Stora Enso and machinery manufacturer Bosch have introduced a unique packaging concept for pharmaceuticals. Stora Enso PharmaPak SHR is a 'small-hands-resistant', senior-friendly packaging solution. The system consists of an automatic cartoning machine, a pack design incorporating a unique locking device, and a specially developed board material that is tear-, moisture- and abrasion-resistant.
'Stora Enso PharmaPak SHR meets the child-resistance requirements of ISO 8317 and aims at the highest child-resistance and senior-friendliness classifications in the US,' says Ismo Saarinen, director of pharmaceutical solutions at Stora Enso. 'The focus of the concept is the pharmaceutical industry, contract packers and clinical trial service providers, who will use the services of accredited converters and printers.'
PharmaPak SHR is a customised solution, where both the size and configuration of the inserts can be individually determined. It is said to be ideal for unit-dose packages such as blister cards but can also be used for ampoules, vials and syringes.
PharmaPak SHR cartons are made from a specially developed board, CKB Pharma TR, which has high tear-resistance. The cartons are reclosable and have a unique opening system requiring both hands, which makes it easy for adults but keeps the contents safe from the small hands of children. 'No special child-resistance features are required for the inserts because the carton is classified as a reclosable package,' says Marcus Dehlin, research engineer responsible for the development of PharmaPak SHR cartons at Stora Enso.
The opening system is based on a 'push, hold and pull' locking device. The user gently pushes the drawer insert inwards before simultaneously squeezing and holding two small circular apertures incorporated in the pack sides to 'unlock' the pack. The drawer can then be easily removed.
Key target customers will include pharmaceutical manufacturers, clinical trials companies and contract packers. Designed particularly for highly toxic medicines, PharmaPak SHR cartons will initially be available in two versions - one for general pharmaceutical use and one for trials. Each carton will be produced from two flat, unglued carton blanks.
Under a global strategic alliance, Stora Enso will supply the tear-resistant board, while Bosch will perfect and market a complete, modular machinery system for pack manufacture, insertion of unit dose blisters, ampoules, vials or syringes, and carton assembly and sealing. Bosch hopes to perfect the equipment's development by early next year, with a full scale launch anticipated for the second quarter of 2005.
'The packaging machine consists of a carton-manufacturing module that can be combined with a semi- or fully automatic blister infeed and carton-assembling and sealing unit,' explains Helmut Deichert from Bosch Packaging Technology. 'Our target in the near future is to provide complete packaging lines with blister machine, cartoning machine and final packaging.'