Packaging and crisis management

"The recent recall of the popular drug Vioxx is an example of how a company can respond to crises in an organized and responsible fashion," says Rogelio Rodriguez, director of Engineering and Science Programs for the University of California-Irvine Extension. "Now, more than ever, companies are realizing the value of having a long-term crisis management plan in place." Does packaging fit into that plan? Yes, says Rodriguez, recollecting the Tylenol poisoning of the 1980s. "How you package, label, and comply with the Food and Drug Administration's regulations," he lists as examples. Recent regulatory and marketing changes in the life sciences industry prompted the UC-Irvine Extension to begin a two-day class called Medical Product Crisis Management, aimed at providing professionals in the medical industry with guidelines on how to develop an effective crisis management plan. The first course was held in late August. Rodriguez expects the class to be offered twice a year; the next time in January. Medical Product Crisis Management is an elective course that's part of the Extension's Medical Product Development Certificate Program.