Medicine packaging guards the "gate of safety"

As a product directly linked to consumer health, medicines have always been under close scrutiny. Any safety issue related to drugs can deeply affect public trust and create widespread concern. In recent years, there have been multiple drug safety incidents, making this a persistent worry for consumers. To ensure the safety of pharmaceuticals, packaging—whether directly or indirectly in contact with the medicine—has become a critical factor in safeguarding quality. Companies are now more determined than ever to act as the "first line of defense" in maintaining drug safety.

On one hand, the safety of pharmaceutical packaging is being improved from the design stage. First, structural improvements are being made. With increasing awareness of child safety, many companies and educational institutions are focusing on designing more secure and user-friendly packaging for children’s medications. Innovations like child-resistant caps, blister packs, and disposable dropper capsules have been introduced to enhance both safety and convenience. Second, anti-counterfeiting measures are being strengthened. To prevent counterfeit products from entering the market, pharmaceutical companies around the world have invested heavily in advanced anti-counterfeit technologies. For example, German company Schreiner introduced the "Flexi-Cap" at Interpack 2014, which combines labels and kits to protect the initial opening of medication packages. Third, smart features are being integrated into packaging. Technologies such as GPS and RFID tags are being embedded into drug packaging to enable full traceability throughout the supply chain, ensuring product integrity and safety.

On the other hand, the production process of pharmaceutical packaging is being strictly controlled. Since the implementation of the drug tracking code system by the State Food and Drug Administration in 2011, all medicines included in the medical insurance catalog must be marked with a unique code. This has added new challenges to the already rigorous printing process. Printing companies must ensure accurate data management and proper design planning to avoid errors such as incorrect numbers or unreadable codes. Additionally, more pharmaceutical companies are adopting high-speed automated packaging machines, which places higher demands on the precision of packaging manufacturing. Therefore, packaging manufacturers need to focus more on key processes like die-cutting and box assembly to meet the requirements of these advanced systems.

As a supplier to pharmaceutical companies, packaging printing enterprises must stay ahead of market trends, closely follow regulatory changes, and continuously improve their technology to remain competitive. By doing so, they can seize opportunities early and maintain a leading position in an increasingly demanding industry.