Outsourced pharmaceutical services provider PCI Pharma Services announced its investment in further expansion of the infrastructure for packaging of controlled substances, addressing its capacity for blister packaging.
Image: PCI has extended onsite controlled substance storage at its US commercial packaging locations. Photo: Courtesy of Serge Bertasius Photography at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
PCI claims that the blister packaging is a key tenet of recent calls for dispensing opioid prescriptions in limited quantity unit dose packaging as a tactic to fight substance misuse and it stands ready to support packaging changes brought in by new Opioid legislation.
The company has extended onsite controlled substance storage at its US commercial packaging locations in Philadelphia, PA and Rockford, Illinois, and will undertake further expansions as demand increases for these specialized requirements.
The company clams that it reinforces DEA Schedule I-V controlled substances for both commercial prescription medicines, along with investigational clinical trials medicine. It has dedicated approximately two million square feet of packaging infrastructure for this across the two locations.
In the US opioid reform measures, Child resistant unit dose blister packaging has been an important topic of discussion.
PCI has a capacity for immediate introduction of new unit dose blister packaging in formats conducive to meeting the stringent child resistant requirements required by opioids. This extensive capacity of the company allows it to support more than five billion unit dose blister packs annually.
PCI sales & marketing senior vice president Phil DiGiacomo said: “There has been considerable discussion about the opportunity for utilizing blister packaging as one tool to positively influence the misuse of opioid and pain management medications in the US. A critical factor in that narrative is to ensure safety in the home.Opioid packaging demands the highest levels of child resistance.
“PCI is in a unique position to make this specialized packaging immediately available by virtue of our proven, highly automated, high-speed solutions, helping our pharmaceutical clients in their transition to meet the latest legislative requirements.
PCI claims that the technology and continued investment allows the company to address global needs throughout the product life cycle, from preclinical development, clinical investigational studies, to commercialization and ongoing supply.
DiGiacomo added: “These child resistant packaging solutions protect younger people in the home, and provide an adherence platform supporting the user to take medication as prescribed.”