Aphena Pharma Solutions announced that it completed its $20 million expansion and renovation in Cookeville, Tennessee. The company began its expansion and renovation in mid-2019. It said in a news release that it adds a “large amount” of solid dose packaging capacity. “The expansion added a new 500,000-square-foot facility that is purpose-built for FDA pharmaceutical…
Stäubli highlights pharmaceutical packaging robots at Pack Expo
Stäubli Robotics will highlight its robot-based automation technology used for pharmaceutical manufacturing and packaging at the Pack Expo event scheduled for October 23–26 in Chicago. The company will display its technology at booth 18025 at the event The company notes that robots for primary and secondary packaging and palletizing are evolving in complexity to handle…
Fresenius Kabi plans to add 2D barcodes to its pharmaceutical portfolio
Fresenius Kabi has announced a three-year plan to add GS1 Data Matrix barcodes to its pharmaceutical portfolio. GS1 Data Matrix barcodes are also known as 2D barcodes. The company manufactures a range of vials, syringes, IV products and parenteral nutrition products. The Lake Zurich, Illinois–based company says the decision will reduce the need for manual data entry…
Sterile and antiviral packaging: How will advanced technologies unwrap growth potential?
Over the years, consumer behavior has changed massively. The impact of COVID-19 has stoked consumers’ hygiene concerns. Furthermore, the ability of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to sit for longer durations on surfaces has fueled demand for sterile and antiviral packaging, considering the antibacterial properties they exhibit. Global demand for sterile, antiviral and contaminant-free packaging solutions is…
Aptar CSP Technologies launches Activ-Blister for oral slide dose drugs in EMEA
Material science specialist Aptar CSP Technologies (Auburn, Alabama) has opened a new manufacturing site in Europe that can produce its Activ-Blister technologies for oral slide dose drugs. Three companies were involved in opening the facility, including Aptar CSP, pharma packaging equipment firm Uhlmann and Ivers-Lee, a contract manufacturer. Uhlmann provided a blister machine validated to package…
Ember Technologies, Cardinal Health partner on self-refrigerated, cloud-based shipping box
Ember Technologies and Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) announced that they are partnering on the Ember Cube digital shipping box. The two companies will collaborate to offer what they are touting as the world’s first self-refrigerated, cloud-based shipping box, according to a news release. They will work together to deliver a cold chain solution designed to ensure product integrity and…
4 things to keep in mind when selecting beta bags
Life science products like pharmaceuticals, biologics and biosimilars that feature active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) require the safe, efficient, contamination-free, i.e., “aseptic,” handling of raw materials and finished products. Maintaining a sterile production process demands that all components used in a cleanroom or isolator be kept contaminant-free. Beta bags play a critical role in this process,…
What to consider before renewing your serialization contract
As we kickstart the last quarter of 2021, the federal deadline for full interoperability in pharmaceutical serialization, as dictated by the DSCSA (Drug Supply Chain Security Act), will soon reach its two-year countdown on November 27. Since November 2018, all manufacturers, including virtual manufacturers and brand owners, have been required to serialize products at the…
Schott expands Chinese glass tubing plant
Schott recently announced that it has completed the next expansion stage at its pharmaceutical glass tubing site in Jinyun, China. The company completed construction at the site in just 15 months despite the COVID-19 pandemic, with production starting in November 2020. The plant is meant to create a solid production base for high-quality borosilicate glass…
Ensuring accuracy and compliance during repackaging
The accuracy of serialization data and compliance by trading partners provides the foundation for compliance with the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA). During the pharmaceutical packaging process, however, there may be unplanned events that jeopardize the integrity of the data, reduce productivity and increase operational costs. Equipment jams, power failures, product damage during handling…