News and Media: Latest 10 News Items

According to a recent informal poll of Healthcare Packaging (HCP) readers, half the respondents agreed that packaging should enter the stream at the beginning of the clinical trial. An encouraging number, considering the metamorphosis the primary package will likely undergo as the drug formulation continues to change during the course of the trial.

The outcome of this study should help programs determine the most appropriate interventions. If evidence demonstrates, for example, that freezing occurs most commonly during vaccine transport, new procedures for conditioning of ice packs, or ice-free transport can be implemented. If there is a correlation between specific types of refrigerators and freezing, equipment replacement may be required or, alternatively, more attention given to the training of cold chain supervisors.

Guidelines for Temperature Control of Drug Products during Storage and Transportation

World's Most Accurate Wireless Temperature Logger tracks up to 16 Million Measurements in Pharmaceutical, Vaccine and Food Cold Chain.

Med-ic ECM technology records patient adherence to correlate critical bloodwork

Med-ic RFID smart sensor labels will monitor over 250,000 doses in a large Phase II clinical trial to be conducted in Europe over the next 6 months. IMC has already delivered 6,000 self-adhesive smart labels to Aptuit, the study’s packaging supplier.

IDTechEx staged its annual conference on Active RFID and Real Time Locating Systems RTLS in Dallas USA 5-6 December. Delegates at over 240 and exhibitors at 20 were again sharply up, reflecting this prosperous and innovative industry. Here we look at aspects relevant to printed electronics. Passive RFID is most amenable to being totally printed because, in most cases, the logic consists of just a memory chip. However, although printing the microprocessors commonly used in active RFID is probably ten years off, the opportunity to print the antennas, sensors, interconnects and batteries is much closer. The primary motivation is to make these devices thinner, flexible and lower in cost.

The Solution: Med-ic Electronic Compliance Monitors give accurate and accountable data from clinical studies

RFID technology is conceptually easy to understand. So is data warehousing, and we know there's a lot to data warehousing. RFID is a tagging technology that uses electronic transmitters, or backscatters, containing (usually) a standard code representing the item that it is attached to - whether that is a shirt, an automobile, a cow, a bird, a computer, a pallet of goods or a passport. The tags are read by readers, which are usually in a fixed location.

In this article, the author examines the growth of the RFID industry, and the increasing applications and benefits of this system of monitoring.

A slew of new technologies, ranging from RFID and printed electronics, through shape memory alloys to novel battery and display technologies, is enabling a new kind of packaging: smart packaging. Smart packaging relies on the use of chemical, electrical, electronic, or mechanical technology, or any combination of them to add numerous features and functions to packaging.

Smart packaging opens up new opportunities for enhancing inventory tracking, product safety and security, user friendliness and brand enhancement. Its impact is already being felt now in packaging for sectors as diverse as retailing, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, military and toys. The use of smart packaging is also being pushed forward by changes in demographics and environmental concerns.

The report analyzes the market from all perspectives including materials suppliers, technology providers, printers and converters, product manufacturers and retailer/distributors. Companies mentioned in the report include:

* 3M
* Aveso
* Campbell
* Coca Cola
* CSIRO
* Cypak
* DuPont
* DHL
* Duracell
* Heinz
* IBM
+ Information Mediary
* Intel, Konarka
* Marks & Spencer
* MeadWestvaco
* PowerPaper
* Proctor and Gamble
* pSivida
* Wal-Mart