One of the essential milestones that can have an enormous impact on the time it takes the medical devices and other pharma products to get to a market is the packaging stage. There is more to medical devices and pharma packaging than merely creating a flashy package that grabs consumers’ attention. The medical device packaging industry involves many disciplines including material manufactures, device manufacturers, material converters, educational institutions, package testing facilities, and test equipment and medical packaging equipment manufacturers. Reducing hospital-acquired infections requires packaging that maintains its integrity, withstands sterilization, and protects expensive medical products from damage. It is important for medical devices and pharma packaging companies to realize that the packaging is as important as the product. If the integrity of the package and sterility of the products are violated, they become completely useless. Here are some eye-opening insights that will help you prepare for challenges in medical devices and pharma packaging:
Package development
Package development, especially for medical and pharma companies, is a highly time-consuming and difficult process. One of the major hurdle in this aspect include ensuring that the packaging is developed within the desired time frame and the budget is allotted. Sometimes due to the compliance requirements, there are chances of overshooting the budget. This can cause severe problems in the overall ROI of medical devices and pharmaceutical companies.
Long lead time for approvals
Making the final decision on packaging includes the opinions and concerns of various stakeholders in the company. Often, there are chances of conflicts and difference in opinion regarding the proposed design of medical devices packaging materials. In this case, it would prove to be a time consuming and lengthy process to get all the parties involved to agree on a particular concept.
Replacement of old equipment
Most of the times, existing equipment that is used for medical devices and pharma packaging are not flexible enough. There are even chances of this equipment being shared for the production of other products. Moreover, they work at a limited speed and have less scope for innovation. The major challenge here is that companies are reluctant to replace old equipment with new ones due to resistance to change and the high cost involved.
Sterilization challenges
Medical device manufacturers are sensitive to the fact that the package must be durable enough to prevent damage to an expensive medical device and be able to withstand the effects of sterilization, without degradation of the package. End users in a hospital setting also like to see the product through a clear rigid package before opening it. Therefore, the major challenge here is to ensure that the medical devices and pharma packaging live up to the expectations of manufacturers and are capable of protecting the final product from any contamination or damage.
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