Clariant un-taps creativity potential for the healthcare sector at Pharmapack Europe 2014 Paris
- Combining creativity of ColorWorks® and MEVOPUR® trusted materials to help achieve the end-goals of design appeal, brand differentiation, and regulatory compliance
- Supporting companies to develop creativity and comply with the security of healthcare requirements
"Within the pharmaceutical packaging sector there has been increased awareness of, and much discussion of extractables and leachables from plastics and how changes in the materials may often result in unintended contamination of the drug", comments Steve Duckworth Clariant’s Head of Global Segment Medical & Pharmaceutical. "This concern can often limit the use of colors that could make a drug delivery device or pharmaceutical package more attractive".
Since the introduction in 2010 Clariant’s MEVOPUR product range has been supporting the Healthcare industry to manage the risk of regulatory compliance, by using pre-tested raw materials for masterbatches to protocols: USP 23 parts 87, 88 and ISO 10993. The goal of the design concept on display at the exhibition is to demonstrate to the pharmaceutical industry that there is the possibility to have attractive packaging whilst respecting regulatory requirements. For example, by using bright colors rather than the "usual white", companies can boost the on- and off-the-shelf appeal of packaged medicines. Clariant brings together its knowledge of the industry, the materials, and the ColorWorks® design centers to demonstrate how this can be done.
Clariant’s ColorWorks, have for many years been at the leading edge of creating tools that help to add to designers’ ideas, shortening the time to market, in colors that are practical to process in plastic. In addition each year, the ColorForward™ tool is published; a dedicated color forecasting guide in the plastics industry that appeals to people’s emotions and psychology. Using the theme that "If We Help Control You Can be Creative", Clariant’s experience from creating the MEVOPUR product range in 2010 combines with the knowledge from ColorWorks to bring exciting new possibilities for the Healthcare industry especially for pharmaceutical packaging. Therefore, Clariant can help provide color ranges which are anticipating the regulatory requirement, need for change control and help reducing the risk of extractable and leachables. In this way, Clariant supports pharmaceutical companies to improve the packaging quality and brand image.
To demonstrate this, Clariant has taken 5 colors from ColorForward 2013, 2014 and reproduced these ‘trend’ colors using the USP / ISO pre-evaluated raw materials to create MEVOPUR masterbatch products. These 5 colors with inspiring names: ‘Through the Fog’ (shade of transparent orange), ‘Passion Eat’ (shade of red), ‘Hora de Calpirinha’ and ‘Green Peas’ (shades of green) and ‘Copabanana’ (shade of yellow), have been used to create blow-molded bottles. Examples of these Extrusion Blow Moulding (EBM) bottles will be on display.
This approach to coloration can also be combined with well-established process technologies such as dual- layer EBM. With this technology the inner layer, that is in direct contact with the drug, can use a traditional ‘Pharma White’ masterbatch (eg one of the new European Pharmacopeia raw material pre-tested MEVOPUR masterbatch products,) with an outer layer that uses similar MEVOPUR colors to those created by ColorWorks.
This example shows the Clariant’s determination to support its customers to reduce risk, to bring the creativity in pharmaceutical packaging. The creativity can bring you more appeal for your product and differentiate your brand, so Steve Duckworth asks: "Faced with ever tougher competition, why restrict yourself to white when you may be able to give your product shelf-appeal by using Passion Eat or Copabanana?".