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Arguably, one of the most promising areas in the healthcare sector is biologics. Biologics-based products and combination products appeal to some pharmaceutical firms not just for their treatment potential, but for their financial prospects, and for their ability to extend patent protection. “There is a lot more patent protection around these [biologics] molecules,” says Robert Smith, a director at Genzyme in the U.K. “Proteins and biologics are larger molecules than typical drugs."
There exists “a great deal of misinformation” when it comes to accelerated aging of medical device packaging, said Curt Larsen of Spartan Design Group, LLC (952/380-1458), at the January 28 MD&M (Medical Design & Manufacturing) West Medical Device Packaging Conference in Anaheim, CA.
Pharmaceutical firms seek packaging line improvements to cut costs, biologics present packaging challenges, and medical device growth is driven by aging baby boomers. These treatment advances bode well for the healthcare/life sciences packaging community. Packaging materials need to offer protection from point of manufacture to the “last mile” where healthcare products reach a patient. Packaging materials must provide barriers for moisture, oxygen, light and heat, and they may include overt and/or covert security measures to combat counterfeiting and diversion. Equipment will need to package products more efficiently, be validatable and versatile.
Healthcare Packaging and Packaging World, producers of the Pharmaceutical Packaging Forum, and Ipack-Ima Spa, organizers of Pharmintech, announce a cooperative agreement in which Healthcare Packaging and Packaging World will offer promotional support to Ipack-Ima Spa, increasing the visibility for their Italian trade event, Pharmintech, to the U.S. pharmaceutical market. Pharmintech, held every three years in Italy, will next take place May 12th -14th, 2010 in Bologna, Italy.
Jan Gates, principal packaging engineer at Abbott Vascular, offered the following advice during her presentation, “Medical Device Distribution Package Testing,” during the Medical Device & Manufacturing MD&M West show.
Spend an educational day with your peers and solution providers at the Pharmaceutical Packaging Forum (PPF) in Philadelphia March 29. The event is produced by Summit Publishing Company, publishers of Healthcare Packaging and Packaging World business publications. Seats are going quickly, so register soon.
* container lock in at the following temperatures: 4° C, 22° C, -20° C, and -50° C
* fully self-contained, they do not require any wet or dry ice, or gel packs
* developed in conjunction with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, containers are deployed throughout all military branches for the transport of blood, vaccines, and pharmaceuticals
Minnesota Thermal Science, LLC
Electronic compliance monitoring packaging has been around for years, yet many pharmaceutical companies are unable to quantify the return on investment of smart packaging.
* containing purified deionized water, cubes are available in standard sizes of 18"x12" and 9"x12", in 0 degrees C, -20 degrees C, and -50 degrees C formulations
* reversible insulated ice mat either keeps temperature at 0 degrees C or 4 degrees C with insulated side, which prevents direct ice contact with product
Icy Cools, Inc.
Fagerdala USA'sTempcell Tempallet protects large payloads against swings in ambient temperature for up to five days.Works with 2 degree C to 8 degree C range for up to 120 hours; up to 72 hours for 15 degree C to 25 degree C range. Tempallet is available in a range of sizes using either EPS or LDPE insulation. Delivered flat-packed with refrigerants as a space-saving kit, the Tempallet assembles in minutes and folds flat when empty of storage or return.
The two companies recently signed multi-year commercial agreements for the temperature-controlled packaging and cold chain market in North America. TCP will serve as the exclusive reseller and distributor of ATP’s cold chain services and monitoring solutions in the United States. ATP will be the exclusive agent of TCP’s temperature-controlled packaging solutions in Canada. The companies also agreed to install in Laval, Quebec, Canada, a joint-venture laboratory for all design and testing activities related to temperature-controlled and cold chain packaging in Canada.
• E5AR 1/4 DIN and E5ER 1/8 DIN temperature process controllers multiloop models allow for integrated control of multiple zones or factors such as temperature, pressure, and humidity
• 50-ms sampling response time gives precise control in quick-changing temperatures in critical applications
• provides antimicrobial protection for pharmaceuticals and medical devices
• offers thorough treatment for products removed from cold storage for a short time, requiring no quarantine or dwell time, so product can be immediately put back in cold storage
• fast on/off electron-beam curtain of electrons sterilizes package as it moves through chamber
