Primary Packaging & Blinding
Our global facilities and extensive capacity offers a range of primary packaging solutions
Flexible, global, and automated clinical packaging solutions
When it comes to the primary packaging of your solid dose IMP, compliance and efficiency across all trial phases is key.
It’s not enough to just package your supply utilising a variety of solutions, from blistering, bottling and wallet cards. To maximise performance, your primary packaging operations must work to reduce overages and the impact on both secondary packaging and distribution operations. They must support you to plan for variable recruitment scenarios and develop accurate forecasting strategies that allow you to plan production campaigns in advance.
Blistering
Finding the right solution every time.
Regardless of the format, quantity or materials used, we have the ability to efficiently blister all of your clinical trial materials. With in-house engineering, tooling and packaging design, we can help you to reduce costs, waste and lead times. We can also design patient-friendly packs that increase compliance to dosing regimens.
High and low output lines allow for efficient small, medium or large scale processing. This gives us a holistic view of the packaging process and downstream implications of pack designs, e.g. pack size, freight costs, limiting labeling expense and automation of carding and labeling.
- Over 20 blistering lines globally for both high and low outputs
- Cold or Thermoform
- Automated mixed product feeding
- Vision detection systems
- Lidding foil printing capabilities
- Low humidity processing available (<15% RH)
- Support of our inhalation services
- Compliments 35-55% and 20-30% RH
- Seal integrity testing
Wallet Cards
Handling practically any wallet card configuration, shape or size required.
Our ability to work across all the touch points of your trial means that we can work with you to design the optimum pack for both the patient and protocol. We can produce wallet cards efficiently and effectively across the global supply chain and assess labelling and distribution considerations during production planning.
Our in-house design group allows production efficiency to be combined with patient-friendly pack designs
- Design and sourcing of wallet cards
- Child resistant and senior friendly
- High speed walleting for greatly increased capacity
- High speed lines use vision systems, which reduce waste
Our in-house and outsourced engineering resources provide well-proven tooling and customisation options:
- Over 24 lines available globally
- Automated or semi-automated equipment
- Small to large volume
- High speed lines have greatly increased capacity
- Station masking systems
- Heat or pressure sealed wallets
Bottling
Handling varying bottle counts in different formats and sizes.
Our global resources allow for the efficient production of supplies:
- Global resource of high speed bottling lines
- Fully automated or partially automated lines
- Automated filler and desiccant insertion
- Ink-jet and UV printing capabilities
- Small volume manual filling
- Induction sealing and testing equipment
- Bottling lines upgraded with UV printing
Enhanced Containment
Efficiently processing difficult to handle investigational products
We have developed a solution for the bottling of controlled or potent materials that require additional containment.
- Facilities in both PA and EU
- Two stage process
- Dispensation
- Bottling
- No issue handling primary packaged material intended for use with solid oral dose compounds
- MSDS required for initial assessment of suitability
Our expertise
Our all-in-one solution of Supply Chain Management and Clinical packaging expertise to include consultancy, tooling and design work, enables us to deliver flexible, global and automated clinical packaging solutions.
Harnessing fully automated packaging technology and our substantial global capacity across the US, Europe, and APAC, we provide efficient and flexible packaging services that empower you to respond to variations in supply volumes with precision and ease.
Why choose Almac?
We’ve been leading the global market in clinical trial supply packaging for 40+ years so when we say we have the solutions to overcome any primary packaging challenge you’re experiencing, we mean it.
Need to package difficult to handle IMP? We have proven solutions for bottling controlled or potent materials that require additional containment.
Need to remove investigator and patient bias and limit a potential placebo effect? We have a range of advanced masking and blinding options, including our over-encapsulation solutions that accommodate the ever-expanding range of tablets and capsule dosage forms in development. We are pioneers in blinding inhaler devices, and we also have a proven track record for embracing innovation to develop blinding solutions for challenging products, including vials, IV bags and syringes.
Need to boost compliance with dosing regimens? Allow us to design patient-friendly packs that keep it simple. Need to maintain a specific relative humidity during production to maintain product integrity? We can accommodate 35-55% and 20-30% RH, as well as <15% RH for low humidity processing.
When you need clinical packaging expertise delivered by people who care about your program’s performance and your patients’ participation experience and safety… When you need access to complementary in-house engineering teams to provide bespoke tooling and packaging design capabilities to best meet your unique primary packaging requirements… You can rely on us to deliver exceptional solutions and service every time. You can rely on us to Supply With Care.
Supplying with care…
Adrian Collins
Production Manager
“While a lot has changed in my quarter of a century at Almac, our commitment to clients and their patients has been steadfast. I’m proud of the contribution I make.
I’m proud that our primary packaging expertise and extensive capability helps our sponsors operate more successful clinical trials.
I’m proud to support patients with timely access to medication. And I’m proud to play a small role in advancing human health.That’s why I Supply With Care.”
