Packaging as a potential life saver

Published: 30-Jan-2018

Today’s pharmaceutical industry is more sophisticated and heavily regulated than ever before, to highlight the importance of investing in high quality packaging for medical products, pharma packaging supplier, Valley Northern, has released a comprehensive whitepaper on the topic

Pharmaceutical packaging could be mistaken as a simple collection of boxes and bags. However, the phrase actually defines the collection of components that are used to protect a pharmaceutical product from its initial production, right up to its use by the patient.

Valley Northern’s whitepaper explains the importance of investing in high quality packaging for medical products, the regulation around pharmaceutical packaging and advises pharmaceutical companies on the Government guidelines on packaging.

The whitepaper highlights the important challenge of tackling counterfeit pharmaceuticals by investing in packaging. In the UK, most over-the-counter products are subject to strict regulations. However, counterfeit products can have detrimental effects in developing countries.

The whitepaper explains how pharmaceutical companies in the UK and abroad should take responsibility to improve the security of packaging, by making it more difficult for fraudsters to replicate.

Inaccurate dosing is another issue addressed in the whitepaper. Aside from the functionality of pharmaceutical packaging, it's imperative that the packaging provides patients with the information to take medicine correctly. Ensuring the packaging contains accurate instructions can make a real difference to patient safety.

“Pharmaceutical packaging is not simply designed to enclose and protect medicines,” said Oliver Pittock, MD of Valley Northern.

“In the whitepaper, we highlight common issues caused by unsuitable packaging. For example, failing to communicate the correct medicine information, providing inaccurate dosing instructions and in extreme circumstances, fraudulently masking a counterfeit pharmaceutical product as the real thing.”

“Packaging for pharmaceutical products is often overlooked. However, we hope to dispel this misconception by stressing the importance of investing in the right packaging for pharmaceutical products — not only to shield the medicines enclosed, but to protect the patients that these medicines serve.”

Valley Northern supplies specialist packaging for the healthcare industry. The company provides specialist pharmaceutical and medical supplies including pharmacy packaging, medical disposables, dispensers and bespoke printed packaging.

Valley Northern’s latest whitepaper can be downloaded here.

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