A pervasive air of secrecy makes trends in brand protection tough to track. But the following two pharmaceutical-based authentication efforts by DPT Laboratories and Med-Health Pharma shed light on some of the solutions being explored to combat counterfeiters, diverters, and gray marketers who appear to be broadening their horizons, reports Pat Reynolds, Editor, Packaging World magazine. Alan Green, logistics director for DPT Laboratories, will discuss how the contract developer, manufacturer, and packager is implementing brand-protection strategies at the Brand-Protection Packaging Forum May 5, 2009 in Chicago. December 11, 2008
Organized under the auspices of The RFID Educational Foundation, the RFID in Healthcare Consortium recently formed to promote the understanding of, and where appropriate, the adoption of radio-frequency identification technology for the benefit of the healthcare community. Harry Pappas, CEO and founder of the RFID Educational Foundation, says the Consortium includes a steering committee of 10 people, representing academia, medical devices/instruments, hospitals, RFID representatives, medical doctors, and systems integrators. The organization is seeking one or two members from the packaging community. A two-day educational conference is in the planning stages for early next year. October 24, 2008
As specialists in formulating, filling, and packaging of pharmaceutical products, Tolmar, Inc. of Fort Collins, CO, has been packaging prefilled syringes for more than a decade. Using barrier thermoforming material for packaging of prefilled syringes into trays is new. According to Lori Fischer, Tolmar's engineering manager, "The contents of the polypropylene syringes can be damaged by exposure to air or moisture, which is why we need barrier packaging in the first place. We had been using a foil pouch with a tear notch, but it was cumbersome. You had to shake the contents out. Also, once packaged, you could not see inside to do a check of the contents." Enter Klöckner Pentaplast with its Pentamed Aclar polyester barrier material. Tolmar also installed a Model R230 thermoform/seal machine from Multivac when it switched to the new Klockner Pentaplast material. October 17, 2008
Surrounded by Rockland County, NY government officials and business leaders, Roland Schreiner, president of Schreiner MediPharm Global, cut the ribbon for the U.S. facility opening September 12, 2008. On the left is Gene Dul, U.S. president. The pharmaceutical label printer's expansion in the U.S. "is to serve our customers better by being closer," said Schreiner, who pointed out that Rockland County officials, with the help of an Empire State tax-incentive package, were eager to aid the startup of the plant, projected to hire as many as 80 people. The company said that several German employees have relocated to the U.S., with local talent brought in by an executive recruiter. September 15, 2008
