Age Considerations for Pharmaceutical Packaging Compliance

Keeping up to date with the latest regulatory and pharmacopeial guidelines and revisions is always in the best interest of a pharmaceutical company throughout all aspects of its business. In terms of pharmaceutical packaging, there are important standards and guidelines for companies to follow, not only to ensure the safety and efficacy of the medicines housed within their packaging, but also to protect and assist the patient.

“Compliance trends in the pharmaceutical packaging sector are constantly evolving but CRSF [child-resistant senior-friendly] packaging has long been a major concern,” stresses Olivier Rousseau, CEO, SGD Pharma. “In the United States, over 300 children under the age of 20 are treated in the emergency department every day, and two die as a result of unintentional poisoning (1). And in the European Union, it is the fifth leading cause of accidental death for children and adolescents. Most cases occur within the home, when children gain access to harmful substances that are improperly stored.”

While the ultimate responsibility lies with parents or carers of children to ensure medications are not erroneously consumed, pharmaceutical packaging manufacturers are also being tasked with providing packaging solutions that are child-resistant while also being as user-friendly to adults and senior citizens as possible, Rousseau explains.

“There are numerous mechanisms for child-resistant closures (CRC) on medical packaging, which are primarily categorized into re-closable (bottles) or non-re-closable (blister packs),” Rousseau continues. “In some countries, pharmaceutical and healthcare companies are required by law to produce packaging that is child-resistant, while maintaining accessibility for the consumer.”

For example, Rousseau points out the standard test procedure, published by the International Organization for Standardization, for re-closable child-resistant packaging (2). And, in Europe, he notes, several norms have been introduced that complement the ISO standard.

“Pharmaceutical companies must have certification of child resistance for the for their full solution and the time and cost related to this is significant,” Rousseau stresses. “To streamline this, drug manufacturers can partner with packaging manufacturers that can not only supply innovative, high-quality packaging, but also provide the required certification (ISO 8317:2015 in Europe and 16 CFR [Code of Federal Regulations] 1700.20 in the US).”

References

1. ChildCare Aware of America. Poisoning. https://www.childcareaware.org/our-issues/crisis-and-disaster-resources/poison/ (accessed Aug. 22, 2024).

2. ISO. Child-Resistant Packaging—Requirements and Testing Procedures for Reclosable Packages. Edition 3, 2015.

About the author

Felicity Thomas is associate editorial director for Pharmaceutical Technology® Group.