BLISTERS: Colonial Debuts Compliance Format

Colonial Carton Co. (Clayton, NC) is launching a compliance wallet that features the benefits of simplicity with high child-resistant and senior-friendly-opening performance.

The 3CPak features a patented die-cut design used in a simple foldover format. Colonial Carton will convert single or multipanel formats that blister packagers can run on existing equipment for making carded blisters, says Joe Elphick, president and CEO, Colonial Carton.

“We are hearing in the marketplace that the large pharmaceutical companies want more package real estate,” Elphick says. “With the 3CPak, we have a low-cost, unit-dose compliance package that is fully recyclable, tested as F=1, and offers billboard space for product information. The wallet lies flat so you can get more of them in a cube. We are rolling this out to our customer base now.”

Colonial is manufacturing the 3CPak in an agreement with Keystone Folding Box Co. (Newark, NJ), which sells the system as the Key-Pak for clinical trial packaging. Colonial has exclusive rights for serving the medium- to high-volume needs of pharma trade packaging.

The system features a push-through, pull-tab opening sequence. The patient pushes a dose indicator tab through the package, then turns the card over and pulls a peel tab to expose the foil backing, then pushes through the tablet. An illustration of the opening sequence and optional package formats can be found at www.3cpak.com.

Elphick notes that the 3CPak doesn’t require reclosing, or any secondary packaging components, to sustain the child-resistant function. Keystone achieved an F=1 rating in Consumer Product Safety Commission testing, in which all seniors gained access and there were zero openings by children.

Colonial Carton has continued to add state-of-the-art machinery as it rebuilds from a 2005 fire that destroyed most of its Clayton plant. Two KBA Rapida printing presses with UV coating and backside printing capability were recently installed. The converter is now running three Iberica blank die-cutters. Its third Bobst Alpina II folder/gluer installed last month features an Accubraille rotary Braille embossing system.