HealthPack 2017 earlier this year brought together a host of the country’s medical device packaging professionals, including directors and managers, packing engineers and research and development teams.

Healthcare packaging is increasingly important in the medical device and pharmaceutical industry. Based on multiple panels and presentations, here are three important trends to look out for in healthcare packaging, according to a blog that Plastic Ingenuity wrote off the March event.

1. Balancing industry compliance and innovation

Medical device and pharmaceutical packaging have some of the strictest regulations, and healthcare companies are eager to find a way to meet all of these guidelines while also offering unique and user-friendly packaging.

Plastic Ingenuity (Cross Plains, Wis.) along with several other HealthPack 2017 presenters suggest that following industry standards helps ensure that the products a company is putting out will be reliable and offer patient health and safety.

2. Ensuring sterility in end-to-end supply chain scenarios

Sterility is especially important in the health and pharmaceutical industries for protecting user health and well-being. Sterility assurance groups and packing companies are coming up with better, but reliable, solutions for sterile packaging so that there is more focus on the end-to-end supply chain process that helps make sure sterility standards are met.

Plastic Ingenuity and other panelists at HealthPack 2017 suggest that packaging engineers and sterility assurance professionals should work together to get the best results.

3. User-centric design

User-friendly packaging is also a focus of medical device and pharmaceutical packaging sectors. Packaging that meets standards is often difficult to open, and in the medical device industry, it is important to be able to open packages quickly in emergency situations.

Healthcare packaging manufacturers are creating a greater focus on making user-centric designs on their packaging with complex care regimens, label space constraints and ambulatory care in mind.

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