20 July 2022 | Opinion
In most sectors, product packaging serves many purposes, including protecting and preserving goods, disseminating marketing and regulatory information to consumers, and adhering to legal requirements.
Image Source : Public Domain
Perhaps more than any other industry, the pharmaceutical industry benefits greatly from efficient and thoughtful advanced packaging, particularly for the benefit of patients.
Although there are many different approaches to improving patients' adherence to their prescribed medications, they all share the common goal of making it easier for them to keep track of their treatment plan, dosage, and safety recommendations.
This can be accomplished on a basic level with the help of transparent packaging design. Every pharmaceutical packaging company is looking forward to incorporating printed electronics and internet connectivity to reach patients who may have trouble following their treatment plans.
Holograms and micro texts can be included in smart packaging to deter the sale of fake drugs. As holographic technology advances, it becomes increasingly difficult for counterfeiters to create convincing knockoffs of product packaging. Micro text cannot be read without specialized equipment. It helps deter forgeries in addition to being undetectable to the naked eye.
Smart packaging allows product traceability from manufacturing to retail shelves via embedded, printed tracking.
It is possible to learn about the product's storage and handling temperatures and roughness by analyzing the data generated by this technology. Smart packaging is superior to conventional methods for preserving product quality and security.
The initial investment in studying and developing new forms of packaging may be high, but the long-term benefits will more than pay for the initial costs.
Since criminal networks are getting better at intercepting items and distributing counterfeits, it only makes sense that smart packaging technologies speed up distribution. Smart packaging can also help with serialization.
These days, it's not enough for a new drug to be effective and safe before it can get to the market.
Key ideas in the pharmaceutical sector include evidence-based medicine (EBM), comparative effectiveness research (CER), patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR), and value-based pricing. Value for money is a prerequisite for everyone involved in developing and distributing a new treatment, not just the patients.
Treatment efficacy, quality of life improvement, ease of use, convenience for the patient and caregiver, cost-effectiveness, and patient adherence are all value measures. The packaging and delivery method that is selected can have a significant impact on several of these aspects.
Pharmaceutical packaging has advanced significantly over the years and serves various functions in protecting the contents. Innovative packaging solutions are becoming increasingly popular due to several market factors.
Small-volume medicines developed for specific patient populations are gradually replacing blockbuster drugs. Antibody-drug conjugates are one example of a new family of medications that can deliver highly active pharmaceutical compounds with pinpoint accuracy, resulting in improved therapeutic efficacy and fewer adverse effects.
Affordable DNA testing has made individualized medicine widely accessible.
Furthermore, databases with comparative treatment results give clinicians knowledge about which medicines should perform best for any patient.
Instead of building these capabilities in-house, many pharmaceutical companies are teaming up with forward-thinking contract service providers that can design customized packaging solutions quickly and affordably.
Lastly, even lost shipments can be located quickly with the help of serial numbers, which can be monitored simply throughout the distribution process. Smart packaging allows for decentralized treatment and enhances the patient experience. Patients' health is improving due to the increased care they are receiving.