subject: Pharmaceutical Packaging Equipment: The Fda Needs To Grow A Set [print this page] As Mr. Mackey, the school counselor at South Park Elementary would say, "Drugs are bad, Mmkay." The FDA couldn't agree with him more, hence the reason they recently updated the standards of the technical standards for securing the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain. To accomplish this, they are requiring that pharmaceutical packaging companies must serialize each individual bottle or container so it can be identified all the way down the supply chain.
One more step added to the multitude of steps involved in the pharmaceutical packaging process. Not only is it important to serialize each container but they must be labeled correctly to ensure the consumer receives the correct dosage of medication. Pharmaceutical is an expensive industry with law suits filed every chance someone gets, so it is imperative to these machines do the job correctly.
To help reduce lawsuits, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have incorporated their advanced technology into their machines. For example, servo technology controls the speed and distance between each product as they convey down the production line. If the machine detects a malfunction with the product it will recycle the product.
However, the delay in critical decision making grows longer each day. There are a number of pharmaceutical packaging manufacturers that have not taken the FDA seriously and therefore caused the FDA to weaken the demand on traceability and serialization. The same is happening in Brazil, another country that is heavily invested in pharmaceutical packaging. There are companies out their that retail FDA approved packaging machines, however thanks to the FDA's lack of authority these companies are may lose their competitive edge.
I would like to hope that our country is doing everything it can to reduce the chance of prescribed medication ending up in the wrong hands. This regulation is a great step in the right direction, I just wish manufacturers could see past the finances and look more toward the fact that they are helping cure America of its illicit drugs problem.
