New drug delivery solutions put the patient in control

As Americans continue to focus on health and wellness, they are taking more control of their healthcare decisions—and they expect pharmaceutical companies to enable them even more than ever. New packaging solutions for innovative drug delivery is one of several key industry issues on the agenda at the upcoming Pharmapack North America (June 9-10; New York City).

From expert opinions shared at conference sessions to new products from an elite group of exhibitors, attendees will have access to answers and will be inspired by innovative ideas.

The following highlights of pre-event coverage come courtesy of our sister publication Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News, as reported by Matthew Sanderson, associate editor. Links direct you to more detailed PMP News articles. There is still time to attend the event. Register here.

As the number of patients who self-administer using drug-delivery devices continues to grow, with more patients being introduced to injection and pulmonary devices, it is of paramount importance to provide proper packaging to further the education. Recent user studies show that approximately 84% of patients are failing to follow all of the steps within drug delivery. Paul Sullivan, associate director of business development at Noble, will speak on June 9 for the session titled, “How to Improve On-Boarding for Patients with Self-Administered Drug-Delivery Devices with Advances in Training and Packaging.” 

When it comes to today’s injectable and inhalable therapies, drug administration won’t necessarily be kept under the control of a professional, observes Bill Welch, chief technology officer for Phillips-Medisize Corp. “Drug administration will increasingly be placed in the hands of a patient,” he says. Welch will be speaking about achieving a “successful design” June 10 in the session, “Packaging Technologies for Driving Patient Adherence, Convenience, and Safety.”

The rebranded drug-delivery manufacturer Nemera headquartered in France, formerly Rexam Healthcare, anticipates its preservative-free multidose eyedropper Novelia to have an impact at Pharmapack North America after gaining traction in Europe and Latin America since its debut. Located at Booth 4007, Novelia is touted as the only preservative-free multidose system on the U.S. market, and it is already used in more than 15 countries with drug products and medical devices.

Ursatec, a preservative-free pharmaceutical product developer of spray pumps for oral, nasal, and inhalation sprays, will be showcasing its OptiLung inhaler at Booth 4118 and the company will be at Pharmapack’s Innovation Gallery. Ursatec leaders say they plan to expand its technology to new applications and market worldwide. It will feature the OptiLung, a pocket-sized aerosol drug-delivery device for aqueous solutions. It releases a mono-disperse aerosol, targeting the central lung.

Even the best drug in the best container with the best delivery device can end up being useless if patients don’t take it, points out Chris Evans, vp of research and innovation for West Pharmaceutical Services Inc. To tackle non-adherence, West and HealthPrize Technologies LLC are collaborating by integrating HealthPrize’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) medication adherence and patient engagement platform with West’s injectable drug delivery systems. At the upcoming Pharmapack North America conference June 9, Evans and HealthPrize's Katrina Firlik will explain how the drug-delivery systems will encourage and reward patients for taking medication.

Aptar Pharma, a business segment of Aptar developing solutions for biotechnology, healthcare and pharmaceutical companies, will be presenting its Pro-Ject auto injector and PremiumCoat. Pro-Ject is from Aptar Pharma Prescription, and PremiumCoat is from Aptar Stelmi. Both companies will be manning Booth 4004 at the conference.

The Pen-Prep EVO by Duoject Medical Systems will be on display at Pharmapack North America's Innovation Gallery. Company representatives will be located at Booth 4015. Duoject offers a range of unique medical devices developed to safely and precisely reconstitute all dry-form drugs prior to injection, and it has been working with clients since 1985. The Pen-Prep EVO is used with traditional pen injectors used worldwide by patients seeking a portable reconstitution device for scheduled multiple self-injections.