Technological advancements in packaging have provided pharmaceutical companies with the opportunity to drastically rethink the packaging of drugs as we know it today.
Not only does smart packaging technology open the doors to simplify the handling of drugs; it also helps in supporting patient compliance.
Smart packaging can be categorized into two streams: 'active packaging' and 'intelligent packaging', both offering benefits to pharma companies, doctors and patients.
- Active packaging refers to packaging that is enhanced with physical functionalities that can be used without the need for any other tool or device.
A good example of this technology is printable ink that changes color when exposed to temperatures outside of the acceptable storage conditions. This way it is warning for temperature damage or is detecting product tampering.
- Intelligent packaging on the other hand is all about connectivity. As people are adopting a more 'connected' lifestyle, they don't expect anything less from their pharmaceutical brands.
Intelligent packaging therefore focusses on a two-way communication between the patient and producer by enabling information delivery, receipt and storage. Communicating information to consumers by just providing a link to a website will no longer suffice as NFC (near-field communication) technology in combination with mobile apps goes beyond information delivery. This technology guides consumers through the self-medication process by presenting interactive product information, recording the date of opening medicines, reminding the user to adhere to a drug scheme and alerting when the expiry date is getting closer.
READ FULL ARTICLE (Source: H. Forcinio, "Smarter Packaging Comes to the Pharma Market," Pharmaceutical Technology 43 (1) 2019)