BLISTER PACKAGING

Hard Fact Packaging (Blister) Can Save Kid s Lives, PN, Feb. 24, 2003. 

Fig. 2 Blister packages are a very common method of unit-dose packaging. Blister packages are ideally suited to satisfy requirements for being tamper resistant and child resistant. The lidding stock is often a multilayer film containing plastic, metal, paper, and adhesive components. (From Ref...

FIGURE 21 Commercial bio-based polymers (a) starch copolymer based biodegradable carry bag, (b) 50-50 film blend of poly lactic acid and petroleum-based materials for packaging cheese snacks, (c) packaging blister made from cellulose acetate, (d) biodegradable bottle on sale in Britain, (e) PLA yoghurt cup, and (f) 100% degradable sandwich box. 

Commodity Appiications Writing equipment, combs, toys, pens, cosmetics, packaging, blister packs, spectacles, buckles. 

Blister or strip packs Blister packaging Bloch walls Block copolymers... 

Biaxially stretched film has proved of value as a packaging material. Specific uses include blister packaging, snap-on lids, overwrapping, envelope windows and de luxe paekaging. 

The initial use was as a blow moulded vessel for vegetable oil candles. However, because of its biodegradability it is of interest for applications where paper and plastics materials are used together and which can, after use, be sent into a standard paper recycling process. Instances include blister packaging (the compound is transparent up to 3 mm in thickness), envelopes with transparent windows and clothes point-of-sale packaging. 

Cellulose Plastics Cellulose Acetate 1912 M P All conventional processes Excellent vacuumforming material for blister packages, etc. 

Also called blister carded packaging. It is a package in which thin plastics film or sheet is formed so that a product is placed in the blister, backed up by a material (plastic, paper, aluminum, etc.), and sealed. 

Cellulosic They are tough, transparent, hard or flexible natural polymers made from plant cellulose feedstock. With exposure to light, heat, weather and aging, they tend to dry out, deform, embrittle and lose gloss. Molding applications include tool handles, control knobs, eyeglass frames. Extrusion uses include blister packaging, toys, holiday decorations, etc. Cellulosic types, each with their specialty properties, include cellulose acetates (CAs), cellulose acetate butyrates (CABs), cellulose nitrates (CNs), cellulose propionate (CAPs), and ethyl celluloses (EC). 

There are many successful examples of compliance packaging in the marketplace. These include oral contraceptives, unit-of-use packaging for steroids, convenience paks, and blister packaging systems that incorporate reminder and information leaflets (the MACPAC). 

VIII. BLISTER AND STRIP PACKAGING A. The Blister Package... 

Blister packages for pharmaceuticals consist of two basic packaging components lidding material and... 

Laminated sheets made from PVC bonded to chlorotrifluoroethylene (CTFE) have the lowest water-vapor permeability of all the materials used in blister packaging. Compared to 250 pm PVC sheet, a lamination of 200 pm PVC-19 pm CTFE (8 mL PVC-0.8 mL CTFE) has a 15-fold lower water-vapor permeability. There are many grades of CTFE available with more or less barrier and ease of formability. Figure 1 shows the difference between flat sheet and formed blister moisture permeabilities. 

Strip packages represent an alternative form of packaging for unit-dose medication. Strips can be produced from single- or multiple-ply laminated materials provided the two inner plies can be sealed by heat or pressure (e.g., cold self-adhesive seals). Materials can range from relatively permeable plies to those that incorporate a foil ply of sufficient thickness and effectiveness of seal so that an individual hermetic seal is produced for each dosage. Strip packages are produced at lower speeds and occupy greater volume than blisters. 

The regulatory authorities in the United States have issued interim guidelines for the interchangeability of blister packaging materials. The initial suggested criterion for consideration is ... 

E. Swain. Senior friendly blisters. Pharm. Med. Packaging. News, 8, 16 (2000). 

H. Liu. Classifications of PYC for pharmaceutical blister packaging using pattern recognition techniques. Ph.D. dissertation, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 1998. 

The packaging systems used were discussed in some detail in several EPARs. The number of products requiring a desiccant of some type is quite a high proportion of the total. In many cases both blister packs (of various compositions) and bottles (glass or plastics) were used for the same product. Effectiveness in protecting light-sensitive active ingredients and products is mentioned in the EPARs. Child resistance and tamper evidence is also mentioned. 

---