Packaging plays an especially crucial role in pharmaceutical products. Matching the right solution to the product medium is essential for ensuring product quality, shelf-life, and safety for the consumer.
If you are looking to start manufacturing pharmaceuticals or you’re looking to expand your product line, you might be wondering what are the best pharma packaging solutions for the types of products you want to make? In this guide we will provide an overview of the best materials for capsules, gummies, softgels, and tablets.
First, let’s discuss why selecting the right packaging matters:
Why Matching Product to Packaging is Important
Regulatory Compliance
Pharmaceuticals are heavily regulated by government bodies worldwide. They must meet certain requirements to be sold in these countries and failing to do so can result in sales of a product being banned or your business receiving fines for not complying with regulatory standards.
Longer Shelf-Life
Airtight, sterile packaging solutions ensure that your pharmaceutical products stay as fresh as possible for longer. This prevents premature expiration, which can also result in a loss of revenue for your business and retail partners.
Accurate Dosing
Depending on the products you are manufacturing, certain packaging solutions allow for better dosage control. For example, a blister package often has specific doses separated into individual blisters on a sheet. Conversely, a bottle or carton will contain multiple doses that are not separated.
Label Requirements
Depending on how much information is required for your product label, certain packaging solutions will provide more surface area for printing label information. In some cases, you can combine different packaging materials to ensure that all of the necessary drug facts are listed, such as housing blister packs in a carton.
Common Packaging by Product Type
Capsules
Because capsules have a hard outer shell, they remain protected in many different types of packaging. Two of the most common are bottles and cartons. Cartons can be easily filled using a cartoner machine.
If you are packaging in bottles, you will need bottles made with industry-compliant materials along with an unscrambling machine to sort them in your production line. Along with this, you will also need a capping machine and labeler to adhere the label to the container’s surface.
There are two other optional pieces of equipment that you can use for bottles. You can also use a cotton inserter to place cotton in the bottle as well as an induction sealer to create a freshness barrier between the lip of the bottle and its cap.
Gummies
Gummies can be packaged in most of the same solutions that you would use for capsules. However, gummies are more susceptible to expiration in a non-resealable container compared to a product with a firm outer shell.
The best packaging solution for gummy vitamins and supplements is to use a bottle along with a capper machine and labeler. However, bags and cartons can also work if they contain a resealable opening, though these are often less commonly used in the industry.
Softgels
Softgels also contain a firmer outer shell like a capsule. The firmness can vary depending on the manufacturer’s preferences.
Softgels can be packaged in a number of different solutions from bottles to cartons as well as blister packages.
For blister packaging, you will need a machine specifically designed to create an appropriate seal for the blister sheet. This will ensure that extra softgels are not opened when a consumer only wants to open one or two at a time.
Tablets
Tablets are a dry, compressed powder medium that can remain fresh for longer than a capsule, softgel, or tablet without a packaging solution. However, they are often small and can be easily misplaced without one.
Because they are the firmest of any of the pharmaceutical products listed here, you can package them in almost any medium. Typically, they are offered in blister packages housed in a carton or plastic bottle for over-the-counter medications. For prescription products, they are usually placed in standard orange bottles with white childproof caps.
Get the Best Packaging Equipment for Your Pharmaceutical Business Today
At CapPlus, we specialize in providing high-performing pharma packaging solutions to contract manufacturers and in-house production teams worldwide. With decades of experience serving the industry, we can match your specific needs to the right equipment.
All of our pharma packaging solutions are designed to withstand continuous use at high production volumes to ensure that your operations are not interrupted. We can also round out your capabilities with a wide range of manufacturing and quality control equipment.
To learn more about our products and discover the right packaging solution for your pharma business, contact us today to speak with someone from our team.