Schreiner MediPharm, a leading developer and manufacturer of functional labels for the healthcare industry, is going to present an innovative solution for secure blister-free packaging at this year’s Pharmapack in Paris from January 22 to 23. Together with partnering companies SCHOTT Pharma and Körber Pharma, Schreiner MediPharm is going to show how sustainable packaging design can combine waste and cost reduction with user convenience and patient safety.
The new solution features Cap-Lock, a novel functional label from Schreiner MediPharm that in combination with the SCHOTT TOPPAC® infuse COC Syringe and an innovative specialty cap can completely replace previous blister packaging. Due to a new cap design having the same diameter as the syringe barrel, the Cap-Lock Label from Schreiner MediPharm can be applied to the syringe in a reliable process. The functional label wraps around the syringe barrel and cap like a second skin and offers an irreversible first-opening indication that is automatically activated when the cap is being opened. This innovative functionality ensures the integrity of the prefilled syringe from production to final use. That avoids tampering and misuse and final users can instantly recognize if the syringe and label have been previously opened.
Aside from the first-opening indication, the Cap-Lock Label from Schreiner MediPharm performs additional protective functions of the conventional blister and transfers them to the primary container. A gas barrier as well as multi-level UV and light protection can be integrated into the label design. The extended label space enables flexibility in terms of customized branding, product information, or drug color codes. An RFID chip for automated tracking on unit level and for digital first opening indication can be integrated into the Cap-Lock Label as well. Due to the combination of the COC syringe with a specialty cap and functional label with a sealing function, the filled syringes can be packaged in a volume-optimized top-load cardboard box consisting of 100 percent mono-material from Körber Pharma. That ensures optimized packaging and distribution processes in pharmaceutical production and requires clearly less space for transportation and storage.
Thus, the new packaging system not only offers considerable cost savings for pharmaceutical manufacturers but also makes a significant contribution to sustainability. Due to the non-use of blisters in the case of the 5 ml SCHOTT TOPPAC® infuse, 1,260 syringes more per pallet can be shipped, resulting in 16 containers being saved for ten million syringes. Due to the elimination of the blister packaging, plastic materials and plastic waste are reduced by 80 percent. For instance, during one-time transportation of ten million 5-ml syringes from Hamburg to New York CO2 reductions of up to 87,400 kilograms can be achieved.
The system consisting of the prefilled COC syringe, specialty cap, and Cap-Lock Label in combination with the cardboard box packaging has already been subjected to ISTA 3A transportation testing and successfully passed it. With this co-marketing solution, Schreiner MediPharm together with SCHOTT Pharma and Körber Pharma emphasizes its commitment to innovative and sustainable packaging solutions. The three partnering companies as founding members of the Alliance to Zero thus support the pathway toward a reduction of the carbon footprint along the value chain and at the same time ensure user convenience as well as product and patient safety.