Past And Present
If you’re a frequenter of antique stores, or if you know anyone who enjoys collecting assortments of old bottles, you’ve probably seen some medicine packaging from a different era. In fact, medicine bottles comprise the largest and most diverse category of bottles distributed and produced in the 19th and 20th centuries. Much of this irregularity in production was due to a lack of knowledge and regulation surrounding medical practices at the time. The more we learn about science, medicine, and health, the more regulated the healthcare industry becomes—the unity of pharmaceutical packaging among these stringent regulations.
Looking to The Future
However, recent scientific and other innovative advancements have also allowed for the further development of this packaging, and new strategies are being tested and studied all the time. The truth is that the pharmaceutical industry will never reach a point of stagnancy, which is why issues of patient safety and compliance are continually improving.
Below are only a couple of the new directions being explored for the development of pharmaceutical packaging.
- Further measures are being taken to combat the counterfeit drug industry. As technology improves, unfortunately, so does the capability to produce non-authentic medications that can prove dangerous if consumed. Some of these future packaging strategies may include the use of ultraviolet inks and track-and-trace capabilities.
- For individuals who must take a large number of medications each day, compliance becomes more and more difficult. Efforts are being made in the packaging industry to develop solutions for non-compliance, resulting in better health outcomes and preserved healthcare costs.
- New pharmaceutical packaging technologies are helping to reduce the possibility of addiction to habit-forming prescription drugs, thanks to electronic, dose-limiting design.
The more we learn, the more our products will change, which is why the pharmaceutical industry continues to evolve each day to encourage a happier, healthier human population.
