There are several different packaging options in the pharmaceutical industry. In the United States, blister packaging is utilized on a regular basis for unit dose pharmaceuticals. When employing blister packaging companies for these and other types of medicines, quality control services, including printing, are often available.
When lot numbers and expiration dates are printed on blister packages, it can make a difference with tracking packages for the purposes of quality control. Pharmaceutical serialisation can also assist with tracking and tracing supply chains.
When packing bottles of medicine, liners and seals are used as a quality control measure. This prevents the product from coming into contact with other substances. Furthermore, it is a means to show customers and consumers that the product has not been tampered with. Bottles can also be packaged with bar codes to assist with product identification.
Another popular pharmaceutical packaging option is cartoning. One of the benefits of this option is that in addition to being able to appropriately label the containers, product information and instructions can also be included.
While pharmaceuticals are being developed, stability studies are a major aspect of the process, according to Intertek. Analytical and research services are tasked with evaluating pharmaceutical ingredients and products to determine their stability under these and other specific environmental conditions:
- Temperature
- Humidity
- Light
The data that results from these stability studies provides vital information on how to best store these drugs, according to Intertek
. Furthermore, this data is also essential for determining retest intervals and product shelf life.
It’s been determined that 75.1% of all medical visits will involve receiving some type of drug therapy, which includes prescription drugs. Within the past month, for example, 48.5% of people in the United States have used one or more prescription drug.
In 2010, for example, 271.4 million prescription drugs were ordered or provided by doctors, nurses, and pharmacies. Interesting to note that this figure only applies to 2010 emergency room visits.
The number of prescription drugs ordered or provided by doctors during outpatient hospital visits was 285.1 million during 2010. During or after physician visits, doctors and pharmacies ordered or provided 2.6 billion prescription drugs.
Given the continued prevalence of prescription drug dispensing, the importance of quality control cannot be stressed enough. In order to ensure patient safety, it is essential that pharmaceuticals are properly labeled, packaged, stored, and dispensed.