At Interphex this week in New York City, Clariant announced that its Healthcare Packaging segment is expanding production capacity at its U.S. site in Belen, NM, for desiccant canisters and packets. Healthcare Packaging is also incorporating Lean Six Sigma methodologies "to ensure the highest quality and consistency of its products," the company reported in a press release.
Adrian Possumato has been promoted to Vice President of Healthcare Packaging for Multisorb Technologies, reports Multisorb Technologies’ President, Jim Renda. With more than 20 years' experience in the pharmaceutical and healthcare markets, Possumato previously served as Global Director of Healthcare Packaging, directing significant growth in Multisorb’s global healthcare portfolio.
By Rick Thompson, Manager, Applications Development & Support
Sealed Air Corp.
Christopher Garrod knew he would need a desiccant in his sample bottles of Vimovo, but after speaking with his R&D team, Garrod, a senior engineer on the Packaging Process Execution Team for AstraZeneca, immediately realized it would present a unique challenge. Vimovo, a fixed-dose combination of enteric-coated naproxen and immediate release esomeprazole, is a highly moisture sensitive drug. The atmospheric exposure limits for the desiccant were a lot tighter than any product they had packaged before, presenting Garrod with his first challenge.
Multisorb Technologies is launching its new microsite, TranSorb.net, to highlight its TranSorb Sorbent Packs for use in freight containers and warehouse storage. These sorbents are designed to absorb large quantities of moisture to protect machinery, canned goods, steel products, and other items against rust and corrosion.
Visitors to the site will find a newly released short video explaining the benefits and applications for TranSorb.
Thanks to ICH Q8 on Pharmaceutical Development, considerations such as Quality by Design, Critical Quality Attributes, and Design Space have crept into day-to-day drug development and production, influencing several packaging decisions. In essence, these concepts have encouraged drug manufacturers to better understand drug stability, resulting in a closer examination of risks using science.
A single pouch has replaced a double-pouch system for packaging a drug-eluting stent, reducing materials, labor, and storage needs. The new package represents a 50% reduction in waste and a 46% reduction in storage space. Such accomplishments have earned stent maker Medtronic a 2011 Ameristar award in the Medical Device category from the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP).