Cartons, Bottles Most Serialized Package Types

Serialization affects numerous packaging forms, but respondents to Healthcare Packaging’s Serialization Playbook survey clearly indicated that cartons and bottles represented the primary packaging types involved in serialization.

The Playbook was downloaded more than 4,700 times between 2012 and 2018. Each person answered a series of questions that revealed details such as where they worked, their role in serialization, as well as key metrics such as how many lines they were responsible for serializing and where those lines were located.

Responding to package types selected here, Dirk Rodgers, Founder of RxTrace.com observed: “Clearly not enough choices were offered in this question, or those that were offered were confusing to some of the readers who chose ‘Other.’ That category may have been included by some readers to indicate serialization of homogeneous cases, which the DSCSA requires.”

He added, “I am a little surprised at any non-zero percentages for blisters and vials since those are very unlikely to be the lowest unit of sale that must be serialized in the U.S. Perhaps these responses are for products being packaged for other markets.”