Types of Packaging Materials used in Pharmaceuticals

1. Glass Plastics Rubbers Paper/card boards Metals
Types of Packaging Materials
used in Pharmaceuticals
Glass
Plastics
Rubbers
Paper/card boards
Metals

2. THE CHOICE OF PACKAGING MATERIAL WILL DEPEND UPON:
The degree of protection required
Compatibility with the dosage form
Customer convenience e.g. size, weight of dosage
form,Filling method
Sterilization method to be employed and cost

4. GLASS
Glass has been widely used as a drug packaging
material
• They are transparent.
• They have good protection power.
• They can be easily labelled.
Economical
• Variety of sizes and shapes
Advantages
• Glass is fragile so easily broken.
• Release alkali to aqueous
preparation
Disadvantages

5. GLASS

6. GLASS

7. GLASS

8. GLASS

9. PLASTICS
Plastic may be defined as any group of
substances, of natural or synthetic origins,
mainly consisting of polymers of high
molecular weight that can be moulded into any
shape or form by using pressure and heat.
General properties of plastics:
They are polymers of high molecular weight,
strong, light, aesthetic and easy to handle.
They are poor conductor of heat

10. PLASTICS
Advantages:
Less weight than glass, flexible and available in
variety of sizes and shapes, essentially chemically
inert, strong, rigid, safe, high quality, various
designs and extremely resistant to breakage.
Disadvantages:
Absorption, permeable to moisture, poor printing.

11. PLASTICS
Types of Plastics:
Thermosetting type:
When they are heated, they become flexible, but do not
become liquid
e.g. Urea formaldehyde.
Thermoplastics type: When they are heated, they are
softened to viscous fluid which harden again on
cooling.
e.g. Polyethylene (HDPE - LDPE), Polyvinylchloride
(PVC)

12. METALS
Metals are used for the construction of containers, the most
commonly used metals are aluminum, tin plated steel,
stainless steel, tin and lead
Advantages:
• They are impermeable to light, moisture and gases.
• They are made into rigid, unbreakable containers
• The containers made from metals are light in weight as
compared to glass containers
Disadvantages:
• Metal containers are expensive as compared to other containers.
• Metals react with certain chemicals resulting into the alteration
in the chemical nature of the product.

13. Collapsible Tubes Metal:
• They are attractive containers that permit controlled amounts to be
dispensed easily with good re-closure, and provide adequate protection
to the product.
• It is light in weight, unbreakable.
Most commonly used are tin, aluminum and lead.
Iron:
Advantages:• Iron as such is not used for pharmaceutical packaging, but
used for the formation of steel which has its further applications as large
quantities of tin
• Use: fabrication of milk containers, screw caps and aerosol cans.

14. METALS
Lead:
Advantages:
• Very soft metal, with lowest cost among all metals used as pharmaceutical
containers.
Disadvantages:
• Lead risk of lead poisoning.
Aluminum:
Advantages:1 Aluminum is a light metal hence the shipment cost of the product is
less.
2. They provide attractiveness of tin at somewhat lower cost.
Disadvantages: create corrosion

15. RUBBER
• The natural rubber consists of long chain polymers.
• Main source of rubber is a tree.
• Rubber is used mainly for the construction of closure meant for
vials, transfusion fluid bottles, dropping bottles etc.

16. RUBBER
.
Butyl Rubber Nitrile Rubber Chloroprene
Rubbers
Silicon Rubbers:
Advantages:
Permeability to water
vapors and water
absorption is very
low.
• Rubber is cheaper
Disadvantages:
• Above 130°C shows
decomposition.
Less resistance to
oils and solvents
Advantages:
Oil resistant.
Heat resistant.
Disadvantages:
Absorption of
bactericide and
leaching.
Advantages:
Bond is resistant to
oxidation hence these
rubbers age well.
This rubber is oil
resistant.
Heat stability is good
(up to 150°C)
Advantages:
• Heat resistance.
Extremely low
absorption and
permeability to water.
Excellent aging
characteristic.
Disadvantages:
• They are very
expensive.

17. PAPER AND BOARD
Paper and Board:
They are very important part of pharmaceutical packaging.
Paper-based materials include: Labels, Cartons, Bags,
Outers, Trays for Shrink Wraps, Layer Boards on Pallets,
etc.
The applications as well as advantages of cartons include:
•Increases display area
• Assembles leaflets
• Provides physical protection, especially to items like metal
collapsible tubes.

18. FILMS, FOILS AND LAMINATES:
Regenerated cellulose film, cellulose coatings, foil
and paper play different roles such as supportive,
barrier, heat seal and decorative.
Uses:
Strip packs
Blister packs
Sachets