Annual HCPC Compliance Package competition takes a scholarly turn

Now in its 25th year, the Healthcare Compliance Packaging Council (Bon Air, VA), which promotes the use of compliance packaging (blister cards and other forms of unit-dose packaging) by pharma packagers, is opening a student competition in parallel with its usual commercial-level one. The organization has always had an educational component; award winners get to select a university-level packaging engineering program to support with a scholarship. Entries at either level are now being accepted; the competitions will close on Feb. 29 (students must submit a conceptual outline by Nov. 30, with a rendering to follow). Commercial entries are defined as any pharma package in use anywhere in the world during 2015 and having compliance-prompting and patient-adherence features, along with several other requirements. Full instructions are at HCPC’s website.

“Compliance-prompting packaging, also known as patient reminder packaging, has a positive proven track record in improving patient adherence,” said Walt Berghahn, HCPC executive director, in a statement. “It’s time to get our future packaging employees and pharmacists thinking ‘outside the vial’ to create adherence packaging tools that are patient-centric and increase patient and/or caregiver engagement.”

A panel of industry judges will evaluate entries, and award winners will be announced at the organization’s annual meeting, RxAdherence, scheduled for April 12, 2016, in Florham Park, NJ.