PCI expands its offerings for scavenging in unit-dose packaging

One of the advantages of blister cards and related forms of unit-dose packaging is better control of the atmosphere around the dosage (usually, oral solids); bottles with 30 or 60 pills can have problems with humidity or oxygen exposure. This is further enhanced when a “scavenger” (an adsorbing compound that pulls contaminants from air) can be applied, and that has been one of the technology offierings of CSP Technologies. Now, an exclusive collaboration (for clinical packaging in the US) between CSP and PCI is bringing the CSP technology to a wider audience through the global contract-packaging services of PCI.

CSP’s branded Activ-Blister technology employs silica gel, molecular sieves (a synthetic form of an aluminosilicate mineral) and similar adsorbents which can be added to the blister-card packaging process such that each blister cavity has the adsorbent. The adsorbent, in turn, can pull humidity, oxygen or offgases from the headspace in the blister cavity, thus protecting the pill and adding to its shelf life.

“Traditionally [sensitive product protection] has required the use of high barrier films and foils and potentially packaging in modified environments to attempt to achieve the required shelf life,” notes Bob Misher, SVP, PCI Clinical Services. “With CSP’s Activ-Blister solutions, the proven technology will substantially impact the success of the packaging system in achieving optimal shelf life, resulting in faster speed-to-market for our clients. We have already seen considerable interest in initiating studies utilizing Activ-Blister.”

CSP notes that its scavenging technology can be added to a packaging line without changing the line’s footprint, and is applicable to a wide range of blister packaging formats, including push-through blisters, peel/push blisters, cold-form foils and high-barrier films containing Aclar (Honeywell’s brand of fluoropolymer) laminates.