Sachet machines are becoming a key element of drugs packaging as part of continuing attempts to find ways of helping to improve customer confidence in medicines and helping to reduce the numbers of counterfeit products, stated in recently published articles.
The manufacturing of pharmaceutical packaging is an essential part of building up consumer confidence – customers are rightly demanding that the medicines they buy are both effective and safe.
This is why, tamper-evident packaging – where the customer is confident that the product has not been tampered with since its distribution from the manufacturer – is a pivotal part of pharmaceutical firm’s corporate strategies.
A recent in depth study by Manufacturing.net demonstrated how sachet machines are used by most pharmaceutical firms to put together tamper-evident packaging.
The legislation set out in the US by the Food and Drug Administration states that medicine manufacturers need to put together one layer of tamper evidence for products that will only be in the hands of pharmacists and two layers for products handled by both the pharmacist and customer.
Eric Allen, director of sales and marketing for Aphena Pharma Solutions, stated that the majority of these security layers will be sealed on the top of bottles, neckbands, or a ‘sleeve’ to ensure that the cap is not tampered with illegally.
"Liquids and solids are commonly put into bottles with tamper-evident seals — that’s very straightforward," Mr Allen said on the website.
Despite the rapid improvements made to packaging, most over-the-counter gels, powders and liquids are also placed into sachets and pouches. Although, these particular products might not be considered as tamper-evident methods alone, Mr Allen suggested that: "However, they are sealed, tamper-evident systems because they are closed and the product is under stability — if it's exposed, it's obvious the package has been opened."
Further to this, sachet packaging is becoming a highly useful resource as an alternative to tin in an effort to curb counterfeit drugs in Africa.
Moreover in Uganda, the country's National Drugs Authority (NDA) has completed prohibiting the use of drugs packaged in tins in favour of sachets and blister packages.
"We are banning all tablets or drugs packaged in loose containers which can easily be opened, sealed and recycled because they are the most counterfeited," Dr Gordon Sematiko, NDA executive director, stated to Uganda's Daily Monitor.
Sachet machines essential in the fight against package tampering