As a pharmaceutical manufacturer, consider the benefits you'd gain using a pharmaceutical contractor for your packaging operation as you work diligently to keep overhead costs as low as possible. It already costs enough to manufacture your core products; you certainly don't want to expend material, storage and personnel resources for packaging if you can outsource that task to someone else for less money. You must also take into account the effort that goes into packaging during peak times like cold and flu season.

Contracting with experts in pharmaceutical packaging services makes sense, because they possess the knowledge to streamline the process and use new products and technologies while ensuring quality from beginning to end; that helps their bottom line, and it can help yours, too. Make sure you include the following criteria in your decision to select a pharmaceutical packaging company:

1. Only select pharmaceutical contractors that can promise confidentiality.

2. Ensure pharmaceutical packaging companies possess a facility with the size and capacity to handle your needs and future growth.

3. Verify the drug packaging company you select exercises consistent and proper controls throughout the process.

4. Compare costs among pharmaceutical packaging companies to ensure they work as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Outsource pharmaceutical packaging design

Both the look and design of pharmaceutical packaging play important roles in getting your drugs to their final destinations in the exact same condition they left your facility. Whoever designs your packaging must consider special pharmaceutical packaging requirements like temperature controls, dispensing solutions and even the wording and artwork on the package.

I recommend: Begin your search for pharmaceutical packaging design with Cold Chain Laboratories, where they focus on thermally-efficient pharmaceutical packaging solutions that meet your specifications. Contact Catalent Pharma Solutions to learn more about how they can answer your specific packaging design needs.

Let a pharmaceutical packaging contractor save you time and money

The process of packaging pharmaceuticals contains its own set of standards, equipment, employees, research and development and space requirements for storing packaging material that you probably don't want to deal with in your own facility. A pharmaceutical packaging service can quickly remove the burden from your shoulders so you can focus on your core business.

I recommend: Let Janco package your pharmaceuticals in their clean-room environment; they'll design the packaging in house, test and manufacture your pharmaceutical packages to reduce medical packaging development cycle times. If you manufacture over-the-counter liquid pharmaceuticals, contact Accupac to learn more about their liquid packaging services.

Work with pharmaceutical packaging consultants for a full-service solution

Sometimes you can save money and the hassle of dealing with multiple pharmaceutical packaging contractors by keeping as many aspects of packaging operations as possible with one company.

I recommend: Visit Siris Pharmaceutical Services if you manufacture pharmaceuticals for clinical trials and want to keep all your pharmaceutical packaging services with one company; they'll handle everything from clinical packaging design to packaging, storage, distribution, returns reconciliation and destruction. You should consider the wide range of services PrePak Systems provides for pharmaceutical packaging; they handle all types of packaging (to include unit dosing), kitting services, labeling, warehousing and reporting.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Ensure the pharmaceutical packaging company you go with operates an appropriately DEA-licensed and FDA- registered facility.