Child friendly packaging made cost friendly too
packaging that it claims is both child resistant and senior
friendly and cheaper to make than current methods.
Available now, the new packaging can be incorporated into multiple formats including pouches, sachets, and tear sticks and is suitable for a wide range of both over the counter (OTC) and prescription drugs applications such as powders, liquids and oral dissolve strips.
Unlike traditional tear open packs, Amcor's packaging does not require a tear notch to open. Instead it features a print-registered tear initiation point which is accompanied by text instructions and may be used as a stand-alone tear-open feature, or combined with a "fold first" or "squeeze first" operation according to individual customer requirements.
In the US each year, approximately 50 children under age six die from accidentally consuming poisonous household products such as medicines.
"In addition to ease of opening in a child-resistant format, this new packaging design eliminates extra material and tooling costs associated with the manufacturing of traditional notched or slit tear opening features," company spokesperson Alan Pfeil told In-PharmaTechnologist.com.
Currently available child resistant packaging designs have a separate area added onto the package where child resistant steps must be performed.
"However, we are building this child resistant feature onto the actual package and in doing so are reducing package waste. As far as I am aware no other company is doing this," said Pfeil.
"For a typical tear-stick packaging format we could reduce the package size by 15 per cent."
The new packaging design is currently being validated on new products by several customers in both Europe and the US and Amcor expects its use will expand in 2007 after the first series of regulatory approvals are granted.
