Blister-Free Vaccines by 2027, Sanofi says

Sanofi is on a mission to minimize the environmental impacts of its pharmaceutical products and activities: Today, 39% of its vaccine packaging is blister-free, and by 2027, all syringe vaccines deployed across the entire Sanofi vaccine manufacturing network will be blister-free. Thanks to this ongoing switch, the company saved approximately 130 tons of blister plastic last year.

The move to blister-free vaccine syringes began in 2016 when the company started to remove plastic blisters from vaccine secondary packaging. The change requires a significant investment in new equipment for the company’s network of 10 vaccine manufacturing sites.

According to a Sanofi spokesperson, the project’s goal is to reduce the vaccines’ overall environmental footprint. This will be achieved through plastic use and waste treatment reduction for healthcare practitioners (HCPs), energy savings through lower cold room storage space, and transport optimization with lower shipment volume. To date, storage and shipping costs have been reduced by approximately one-third.

Carton gives equal performance and cost.

Sanofi has replaced the blisters with cartons that are free of plastic components. The elimination of plastic has reduced the size of the package, thereby improving storage capabilities — a critical need for HCPs and immunization centers managing flu vaccines. The new cartons also allow for quicker, easier access to components.

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In terms of performance and cost, the cartons are on par with blisters.

“Though the switch in packaging technology required a significant investment, once done unit cost of vaccine boxes is equivalent between blister and blister-free,” says Sanofi’s spokesperson. “A thorough validation has been performed and submitted: Sterility of the product, resistance to vibration, shocks, humidity, etcetera, is equivalent to the blister packaging.”

Circularity’s growing appeal.

While the vaccine clinical profile and real-life experience are key factors behind brand selection for doctors, environmental factors are also starting to play a role. According to internal market research, 38% of pediatricians visited by Sanofi in Germany said that having environmentally optimized secondary blister-free packaging is important.

In addition to its blister packaging change, Sanofi will eco-design all new products by 2025 and adhere to eco-design principles for its top 20 selling products by 2030.