With pharma packaging, protecting your product from humidity is crucial for maintaining its integrity and shelf-life. Moisture can compromise your pills and tablets, resulting in the loss of potency and effectiveness. It can even hydrolyse your active ingredient, potentially making it dangerous. A solution is needed in order to prevent costly recalls and damage to your brand. In 2012 for example, a study found that 67% of pharmaceutical scarcities were down to quality issues in the US.1
The solution to this problem in pharma packaging is the use of drying-agents, also known as Desiccants. These are substances that adsorb moisture, and provide critical protection for your pharma products. In this article, we’ll explore the ways you can use these desiccants to protect your goods, and cut-down customer Q.C. issues and product rejections. There are three options to choose from. See below for a handy guide to each type.
Option 1: Desiccant Sachets for Pharma Packaging
Desiccant Sachets are worth considering for your pharma packaging, because they require minimal change to the standard operating procedure to implement, and do not require additional stability testing.
An alternative, automated method for dispensing desiccant sachets is using continuous strip desiccant sachets, which can be Silica Gel or Molecular Sieve. Continuous strips of desiccant sachets can be cut, then picked and placed onto the packaging line as a barrier foil pouch is formed around your product. This lends itself to high-speed packing, where you can achieve a safe and accurate dispensing of desiccant sachets.
“Desiccant canisters are a tried and trusted method of ensuring that your pharma product has the necessary moisture protection”
Option 2: Screw Cap Desiccants for Pharma Packaging
The benefit of Desiccant Screw Caps is that they reduce the risk of the patient ingesting the desiccant, as would be the case with a drop-in sachet or canister. In addition to desiccant screw caps, we also supply Desiccant Stoppers and Tubes. These are typically used to protect effervescent tablets from moisture and premature activation.
Option 3: Desiccant Canisters for Pharma Packaging
Desiccant canisters are a tried and trusted method that ensure that your pharma product has the necessary moisture protection. These small containers are filled with a desiccant material, such as silica gel or clay, and adsorb moisture from the air through vents in the casing.
Desiccant canisters can be dropped into the bottle via a suitable dispenser machine. An advantage of using Desiccant Canisters instead of Desiccant Sachets, is that their dimensional regularity allows them to be incorporated into high-speed packaging lines. As such, they’re are a great solution for retrofitting to existing bottling lines.
Which Option is Best for You?
As you can see, we offer a variety of ways to protect your pharma packaging from moisture, and the right one for you depends on factors such as your budget, the speed of your production line, and also the space available within the package itself. If you’re a small company hand-filling your products, then desiccant sachets are best. Larger companies with high-speed lines should consider desiccant canisters, and even desiccants incorporated into the screw cap of your bottle. Given that we supply every type of desiccant product, we have no incentive to promote one solution versus another – so you can rely on us for impartial advice.
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Citations:
1: S. Shukar, F. Zahoor, K. Hayat, A. Saeed, A. H. Gillani, S. Omer, S. Hu, Z.-U.-D. Babar, Y. Fang, and C. Yang, “Drug shortage: Causes, impact, and Mitigation Strategies,” Frontiers in pharmacology, 09-Jul-2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8299364. [Accessed: 31-Mar-2023]
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