Comparing Blister Packaging & Strip Packaging
Blister packaging and strip packaging are two common forms of packaging used in various industries, particularly pharmaceuticals.
Blister packaging and strip packaging are two common forms of packaging used in various industries, particularly pharmaceuticals.
Read on to learn more about blister and strip packaging.
Blister packaging is a type of packaging that involves enclosing a product, typically pharmaceuticals but also various consumer goods and food items, in a cavity or pocket formed from a pliable material like thermoformed plastic. The cavity is sealed to a backing composed of paperboard or a sealing layer made of aluminum foil or plastic. The sealed pockets help protect the product from external elements like moisture, air, and contamination, while the backing provides stability and support.
Strip packaging is a method of packaging pharmaceutical drugs where individual doses are enclosed in a continuous strip of flexible material. This strip is usually made of materials like aluminum or plastic. Each dose is separated from the others by perforations or scored lines, allowing easy separation and access to individual doses. Strip packaging is commonly used for medications that need to be taken in specific doses at regular intervals, providing convenience, portability, and precise dosing for patients.
Blister packaging allows for individual unit-dose packaging, where each dose is isolated and protected in its own cavity or pocket. This helps maintain the integrity of the medication until it is consumed. It also reduces the risk of dosage errors and minimizes the possibility of contamination or tampering.
Blister packaging offers superior protection against environmental factors like moisture, light, and air. The individual compartments or cavities formed by the blister pack act as a barrier shielding the medication from these external elements. This helps maintain the stability and efficacy of the medication over time, keeping it safe and effective until the expiration date.
Blister packaging allows patients to see each dose clearly through the transparent or semi-transparent compartments. This visibility makes it easy for patients to monitor their medication intake and track their dosage regimen.
Strip packaging has several benefits, including:
Strip packaging is more cost-effective and efficient. However, blister packaging provides enhanced product protection and stability, but at potentially higher production costs due to its complexity.
While both strip packaging and blister packaging offer some level of protection against moisture and light, blister packaging provides more comprehensive protection and stability. The individual compartments formed by blister packaging create a barrier around each dose, offering enhanced security against environmental factors and ensuring the long-term stability of the medication.
Strip packaging and blister packaging both contribute to patient convenience and medication adherence by providing individual doses, clear labeling, and portability. While strip packaging offers ease of use and portability, blister packaging enhances medication adherence through individual unit-dose packaging, clear labeling, and visual tracking of medication intake.
Strip packaging allows customization and flexibility in terms of size, shape, and accommodating multiple medications. On the other hand, blister packaging has limited flexibility once sealed, making customization challenging for unique medication shapes or larger dimensions.
Learn about container closure integrity testing, including different methods and benefits.
When choosing between strip packaging and blister packaging, here are some key considerations:
Different medications come in different dosage forms, such as tablets, capsules, lozenges, or liquids. Determine which packaging method is better suited to accommodate the specific dosage form of the medication. For example, tablets or capsules may be well-suited for both strip packaging and blister packaging, while liquids would not be suitable for either.
Assess the age range of the target patient population. Elderly patients or young children have different abilities and preferences when it comes to accessing and using medication packaging. For example, elderly patients may have reduced dexterity or visual impairments, while children require child-resistant packaging.
By understanding the demographics and needs of the intended patient population, including age, physical abilities, and challenges they may face in accessing and using medication, you can choose between strip packaging and blister packaging to promote medication adherence and patient satisfaction.
Familiarize yourself with the regulatory guidelines specific to the regions or countries where the medication will be marketed or distributed. Regulatory agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States or the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in Europe set standards for pharmaceutical packaging to ensure safety, efficacy, and quality.
While both blister packaging and strip packaging serve similar functions for individually packaged products, they each have distinct characteristics and are suited for different applications based on factors like protection, convenience, and cost.
Ascend Packaging offers state-of-the-art blister packaging equipment designed to meet the diverse needs of our clients no matter the scale of their operations. Our range of automated and semi-automatic blister packaging solutions caters to facilities with varying space constraints and production demands. Contact us today to learn more about our blister packaging machines.
Ascend Packaging Systems LLC.
3885 Industrial Avenue
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
AcceptLearn moreWe may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.
Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.
These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.
Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.
We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.
We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.
We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.
Google Webfont Settings:
Google Map Settings:
Google reCaptcha Settings:
Vimeo and Youtube video embeds: