New packaging solutions for life sciences, all at PACK EXPO in Chicago
Discover new packaging solutions from hundreds of suppliers specializing in life sciences, all under one roof at PACK EXPO International in Chicago.

Dissolvable supplement strips in portable packs

Dyna-Tabs, LLC plans to use convenient plastic packs of dissolvable strips to introduce more than 50 items that tap into wellness trends.

Last December, Healthcare Packaging's story on screens 4 and 5, "Edible strips now deliver drugs," reported on how makers of nutraceuticals and over-the-counter cold and flu remedies were introducing pocket-sized packaged strips to deliver drugs and vitamins. Another example of the growing popularity of packaged strips comes from Brooklyn, NY-based Dyna-Tabs.

The company introduced a line of eight vitamin and dietary supplements in convenient plastic dispensing packs last April. Intended for active, on-the-go people, the ultra-thin hinged plastic dispensing packs contain 30 strips. The product formulations address wellness issues such as immune system health or memory in flavors such as spearmint or kiwi-strawberry. The hinged vials are sold globally in blister-carded packs. In the U.S., packs sell for $2.99 to $3.49.

The dispensing packs keep the strips dry and fresh, according to Dyna-Tabs' cofounder Harold Baum. He says, "In this format, consumers can achieve the results they want using small convenient packaging rather than bulky bottles." The dispensing packs are injection-molded in various colors that contrast with the strips' color. That --same color also provides a barrier to sunlight, which can cause the strips to dry and become brittle. Graphics were developed by Design Edge to create "packaging that would be universally accepted at all outlets, from supermarkets to convenience stores to gas stations," says Baum. Dyna-Tabs self-packages the strips using unspecified "hi-tech" machinery.

Baum says the company plans to introduce more than 50 items that tap into wellness trends (as well as hair-care products) at "timed intervals so we don't confuse the market and buyers." Dyna-Tabs also expects to change the hinged vials to a two-piece design with a sliding, reclosable cover by mid-2006.

Interphex News

Interphex 2006: A dose of information• Show snapshot: Some 950 companies will showcase equipment, technologies, and services in the pharmaceutical and biotechnical industries.

• Dates: March 21 – 23, 2006, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, NYC
• Exhibit hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday, 3/21 and Wednesday, 3/22, and 10 to 3 on Thursday, 3/23
• Conference hours: 10:15 to 4:15 on 3/21 and 3/22; 10:15 to 3 on 3/23
• New this year: The GenerationNext Awards Ceremony, which will recognize five of the pharmaceutical industry's most talented young professionals for their achievements in technical, scientific, or regulatory areas within pharmaceutical manufacturing. The aim of GenerationNext is to discover tomorrow's leaders today.
• New international, contamination control, and RFID pavilions that will concentrate technology suppliers in these markets to help industry pros target
pharmaceutical solutions.
• Interphex's most comprehensive conference program, focusing on the biopharmaceutical landscape, with presentations on personalized and preventive medicines, vaccines, generics, RFID, and other key issues facing drug manufacturers.
Facility of the year award.

Supplements generate healthy sales

More than 150 million Americans take dietary supplements, according to a recent Fact Sheet from the Council for Responsible Nutrition. It reports that the dietary supplement industry is a $20 billion business in the United States, and cites Food and Drug Administration figures that show there are 29,000 such products on the market.
—Jim Butschli

--By Rick Lingle, Technical Editor, Packaging World
Explore new technology from hundreds of life sciences suppliers.
At PACK EXPO International, you’ll find innovations from hundreds of exhibitors that specialize in pharmaceuticals, biologics, nutraceuticals, medical devices and more. No other show delivers as many solutions to keep your products safe and effective.
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Explore new technology from hundreds of life sciences suppliers.