This is a fantastic example of materials innovation by Queen’s University Belfast in the growing area of drug-device combination products, moving beyond just the drug component by adding some stimulus-sensitive property to allow the catheter to respond to a potential infection. Watch this space to keep up with any further developments in this area. Chris Penfold

A polymer that combines drug-eluting and self-cleansing agents could reduce the risk of bacterial infection through urinary catheters, say researchers at the University.

The material, derived from esters of acrylic and methacrylic acid, is melt-extruded in a confidential multilayer extrusion mechanism to produce a catheter surface that continuously delivers antimicrobial agents over prolonged periods, minimising bacterial colonisation.

‘Although medical device technology has made significant advancements, the inherent problems associated with implanted urinary devices and the significant role microbial biofilms play in device-related infection are now widely recognised as major disadvantages of an otherwise highly effective treatment strategy’, says Dr Gavin Andrews, who is leading the project at the University’s School of Pharmacy.

Via Materials World Magazine, 01 Jan 2010

Click on the following link to read the full article Self-cleansing medical devices

Confusion still reigns over the use of food packaging containing Bisphenol A.

The food standards agency in Australia and New Zealand seem to think that the risk is ‘very low and does not pose a significant health risk’

The Food and Drug Administration in America announced on Friday last week that they feel it’s use is ‘now of some concern’ – they would like to see it’s used phased out in the food and drink area.

The European Food Safety Authority has said that it wants to discuss the FDA’s announcement and the UK Food Standard Agency says that it’s position remains unchanged and feels that the amount of BPA in food packaging “is well below levels considered harmful.”

Looks like this subject could carry on rumbling for quite a while before a consensus is reached – in the meantime, it might be best to ensure any new food and drink products you develop/launch have packaging that doesn’t contain BPA (Jane)

via EFSA to evaluate FDA decision on bisphenol A.

via Bisphenol A (BPA) and food packaging (January 2010) – Food Standards Australia New Zealand.

Interesting article.  I believe the biggest majority of the packaging will be manufactured in the country, but if you have the technology/machinery for sale it might be worth you considering India as your next target market.  Their upgrades and increased sophistication will have to come from somewhere.  (Jane)

Food packaging in India will undergo huge changes in the next five years as companies increasingly use it as an important vehicle for product differentiation, said a report from Datamonitor.

via India set for food packaging revolution.

Swiss Army Knife manufacturer Victorinox has ‘bitten the bullet’ and  is replacing plastic clamshell packs with MeadWestvaco’s paperboard-based Natralock packaging, which (allegedly) uses 60% less plastic than petroleum-based PVC clamshell packaging.

Victorinox said that the new pocket-knife packs were “better designed and more environmentally friendly than the previous format.” This sounds like a big step forward for a cherished brand that is over 125 years old and yet, over that period, has seen little change in packaging formats used. Chris Penfold

Via Packaging News 11th January 2010

You can read the full article at: Swiss army knife packaging revamp

PACKAGING AND LABELING HELP FIGHT DRUG COUNTERFEITS

In the U.S.Food and Drug Administration’s ongoing battle against counterfeit drug products, the latest FDA guidance is aimed directly at packaging techniques.In a July guidance document to industry, the FDA set forth some suggestions for incorporating so called “physical-chemical identifiers” PCIDs into solid oral dosageform drug products and paid particular attention to those that might migrate from packaging or container labeling.The FDA defines a PCID as a product with some unique physical and or chemical characteristic that is added to the dosage form of a drug product and which “makes it possible to detect and authenticate legitimate dosage forms and identify counterfeits.”These so-called PCIDs can include inks, pigments, flavors, or molecular taggants, says the FDA. And the agency expects that many of them would be made of existing substances used in food additives, colorants, or drug products’ excipients.The FDA’s guidance document, entitled “Incorporation of Physical-Chemical Identifiers Into Solid Oral Dosage Form Drug Products For Anticounterfeiting,” is primarily concerned with helping drug makers and applicants for new drug approvals incorporate relevant information about their PCIDs into new drug applications, supplemental applications, and annual reports submitted to the FDA.The guidance does not attempt to address radio frequency identification RFID.Counterfeits have tended to be a bigger problem overseas than in the U.S., though it is a concern here, and not just when drugs are imported. The FDA has always recognized the importance of packaging technologies as potential solutions, including but not limited to RFID.Confirming the authenticity of any individual package of drugs, or, when possible, even an individual dosage, is the essence of thwarting counterfeits. In the complex distribution network through which drug products travel, opportunities abound to introduce counterfeit product into the mix.Counterfeits can come in many forms. For example, they might be products that are just imitations, and literally lack the right ingredients, or are out-of-date versions of the real thing, or are otherwise diverted from the ordinary authorized distribution pathways. It is a recognized phenomenon that authentic and appropriate products are often mixed with inauthentic counterfeits, meaning the confirmation of authenticity often involves measures going to the individual dosage level. Hence, ideas like PCIDs.As for PCIDs that are added to packaging or labeling of drug products in solid oral dosage form, the FDA makes specific recommendations on how to evaluate toxicological concerns and offers guidance on when and how to report or request approval of the addition of a PCID. The agency points out that, as expected, its “toxicological concerns are mitigated if the added substances is a permitted direct or indirect food additive,” or listed in the FDA’s Inactive Ingredient Guide.If the substance you want to use as a PCID in packaging is not the subject of known toxicological information, the packager should, says the FDA, determine that there won’t be migration of the substance into the products. If some interaction of the PCID with the product is expected, and toxicological concerns may result, the FDA suggests packagers contact the agency to discuss the issues. If the toxicology of the substance hasn’t been established, and the potential for its migration exists, the FDA says the drug product with that PCID in it would require a prior approval supplement before marketing.When it comes to PCIDs in solid oral dosage-form products, the FDA is hoping to help industry follow one of its key pieces of advice: Use a multifaceted approach to counterfeiting in order to stay at least one step ahead of counterfeiters.

via Healthcare Packaging – December 2009 : ANTI-COUNTERFEITING: WHEN PACKAGING AND LABELING HELP FIGHT DRUG COUNTERFEITS.

The use of Multisensoric for confectionery packaging on the increase

By Jane Byrne , 15-Dec-2009

Appealing to consumers’ five senses through innovative packaging techniques can result in increased brand loyalty and greater impact at point of sale, and it is a key driver in confectionery packaging, according to the organisers of the 2010 Pro Sweets trade show.

Multisensoric is an approach to packaging design that allows packaging to stimulate and arouse emotions in consumers to encourage purchase and examples include such elements as striking colour schemes, windows to view the product, exciting rustling sounds and foldout trays.

The Pro Sweets team said that, as a result, the confectionery industry is increasingly focused on touch, sight and sound finished packaging elements such as foil lamination, textured embossing, and varnishes.

via Multisensoric trend key to confectionery packaging, claims German group.

Following on from an article we ran earlier in the year on a bicycle made from bamboo, this demonstrates another interesting use of bamboo, which is evidently a strong, sustainable and cost-effective solution. As long as good ‘Forest Stewardship’ is demonstrated to avoid local bamboo depletion, this has the ‘thumbs-up’ from us!  Chris

Via Simeon Goldstein, packagingnews.co.uk, 18 November 2009 Computer giant Dell has selected packaging made from bamboo as an alternative to the paper pulp, corrugated and expanded plastic packs to ship its laptops. The China-sourced bamboo is being used for the cushions that cradle the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 and 10v netbooks inside an outer box made from 25% post-consumer material.

You can read the full article in Packaging News here: http://bit.ly/47LpsP

I found the following article via a LinkedIn packaging group and it gives an interesting overview of size, trends, obstacles, opportunities and predictions pharma packaging industry. Have a read of the full article and let us know what you think. Chris

According to a survey conducted by Pharmaceutical Technology Europe (PTE), almost 50% of you believe that cost is the biggest limiting factor to innovation in the pharmaceutical packaging industry, while regulations were also thought to present a major hurdle to new development, accounting for almost two-thirds of the remaining votes.¹ The pharmaceutical industry recognizes the importance of good packaging design, in particular because of the continuing pressure to aid patient compliance, meet regulatory demands, and increase a brand’s life and appeal; however, manufacturers must also innovate while improving efficiency and adapting to the growing threat of drug counterfeiting.

You can read the full article here (but may need a LinkedIn account):

http://fb.me/3mDlBhX

Via LinkedIn link to Pharmaceutical Technology Europe, Volume 21, Issue 11 Nov 1, 2009
Article by: Fedra Pavlou, Stephanie Sutton, Corrine Lawrence

It has been mandatory since 2005 in the European Union to include Braille text on the pack of every newly approved medicine, including uncontracted forms of the drug name and its strength if more than one is made available. By 30 October 2010 the requirement will be applied to all products, regardless of when they were approved.

Annie Dallison - CTO at Design Cognition

Indeed our Chief Technical Officer Annie Dallison has been at the ‘cutting edge’ of this legislation for a number of years as a member of The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) working group on Braille standards. Annie, as a leading industry expert, already had over 8 years of experience in the application of Braille on pharmaceutical packaging developing processes and establishing & setting standards for blue chip companies, making her an ideal member of the working group.

CEN working group

The CEN working group is made up of dedicated representatives from the packaging industry, trade associations, regulatory bodies and blind associations from across Europe. The group has been working for over 3 years to determine and agree standards, including the Braille font style and measurement of Braille cell dot height that can be applied across the whole of the EU.

The following article provides an interesting insight, from a packaging supplier’s perspective, into the implementation of the imminent Braille legislation. Craig Jasper, Director of Sales for the paperboard converting equipment at Roberts PolyPro, a division of Pro Mach, discusses the obstacles facing Braille embossing on pharmaceutical packages.

Craig Jasper - Director of Sales at Roberts PolyPro

In the article Jasper confirms that “It is a very noble cause. Yes, the number of blind people is less than 2% — and older people that become blind late in life cannot read Braille — but, try to imagine an elevator or an ATM without Braille. It has become part of the fabric of our lives in so many places and it is the right thing to do for those that need some assistance in everyday functions. Also coming up next year it is the 200th birthday anniversary of Louis Braille.” He goes on to talk about obstacles that pharmaceutical companies face with regards to incorporating Braille embossing on packages, and how he feels that the regulation will encourage countries outside of the EU (South America are expecting it to happen there very soon!) to adopt a similar mandate regarding Braille embossing.

You can access a FREE Braille factsheet at The Pharma Gateway HERE

You can read the full PharmaTech article here: http://bit.ly/611BQv (Via Pharmaceutical Technology Europe, Nov 1, 2009)

Despite the current economic climate manufacturers are still pushing forward with making their products more sustainable.  More sustainable doesn’t have to mean more expensive and I think that’s the key to this – it might appear all very ‘trendy’ at the moment to talk about sustainability, but in the long run it can help to cut your costs and more importantly help your profits. (Jane)

Most grocery manufacturers have either maintained or increased their investment in sustainability during the recession a survey has found, indicating the importance it will play for businesses in the coming decade.

via Sustainability no less important in recession, survey.