Packaging pundits tackle tough patient problems

As pharma—big, bio or any other kind—faces the future, the constantly changing requirements and demands of patients and healthcare administrators put packaging in the position to help improve medication adherence, ensure patient safety and curtail escalating costs. Insight from experts at this week’s Pharmapack North America event (June 9-10; New York City) on critical issues facing pharmaceutical packaging professionals will help guide the development of workable solutions.

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. Register here to attend the event.

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” on Wed., June 10, in the session, “Packaging Technologies for Driving Patient Adherence, Convenience and Safety.”

As the pharmaceutical industry evolves away from a blockbuster-based market, will it be ready for a more-personalized, almost-consumerized approach uniting traditional pharma with biotechnology and user-centered drug delivery? Peter Schmitt and Frank Bieganousky, managing directors of Montesino Associates, plan to uncover the answer to that question and more at Pharmapack North America in the panel discussion “What’s Next for Pharma” on Tues., June 9.

“Everyone should be designing packaging and labeling from a user-focused perspective,” says Laura Bix, associate professor, Michigan State University’s School of Packaging. “The industry has been very scientific and concerned about product safety and efficacy, but it’s not limited to preserving chemistry. If patients don’t take medications correctly, it won’t matter how well the drug chemistry has been preserved. We must consider human behavior.” Bix will be speaking about labeling on Tues., June 9, in “Tools for Objectively Designing and Evaluating Label Design for Healthcare Products.”