Materials used for packaging Of

pharmaceutical products

Plastic
Deepali nitin
patil
T.Y.B .pharm
Roll no:85
 Introduction
▶ Plastic provides a cost-effective and reliable form of packaging for
products in a variety of industries, including the pharmaceutical
sector. There are two types of polymers commonly used in
pharmaceutical packaging: thermoplastics and thermosets. There is
a distinct difference between these two material categories—
thermoplastics can be reheated and remolded, while thermosets
cannot.
▶ Plastics are versatile and practical materials
for the transport and storage of
complicated instruments, medicines, and other medical
equipment. In the healthcare environment,
plastic packaging can be found
everywhere including thermoformed blister packs
and trays, caps, bottles, vials,
pouches, bags, and overwrap.
Generally, plastic packaging should fulfil the requirements of a
quality standard so that the objectives of the pharmaceutical
Types

▶ Thermoplastic
Can be melted repeatedly
Eg polyvinyl chloride, polypropylenes, polyethylene terephthalate,
polyolefin.
▶ Thermosets
Once shaped cannot be melted
Eg melamine formaldehyde, epoxy resins, phenol-formaldehyde.
Composition
▶ Polyethylene (PE) : is the most widely used type of plastic in pharmaceutical
plastic packaging. PE is classified by its density and three
grades of PE used in pharmaceutical packaging; low
density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and
high density polyethylene (HDPE).
▶ Polypropylene: The structure of polypropylene (PP) is similar to PE
but it has a methyl group on the carbon main chain (Emblem, 2012b). The
chemical structure of PP is shown in Figure 2 (d). Its homopolymer is
made by catalytic addition polymerization of propylene (Alavi
et al., 2014). The orientation of the methyl
group on the monomer defines the tacticity of the
structure chain
▶ Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) : is the second most widely used plastic for drug
packaging after HDPE. The structure of PVC is similar to polyethylene, but
one of the hydrogen atoms is replaced with a chlorine atom €. PVC is
produced by the polymerization of vinyl chloride (chloroethene) at low
pressure and temperature (13 atm; 52-77°C). PVC is largely amorphous
so it has good optical clarity (Emblem, 2012b). PVC has
the advantages of being low cost and can be easily
▶ Polyethylene terephthalate (PET): is a condensation polymer formed by the
reaction of a diacid (e.g. terephthalic acid or dimethyl terephthalic acid) and a
dialcohol (e.g. ethylene glycol) (Emblem, 2012b; Pareek and Khunteta, 2014). The
polymer consists of polymerized units of the monomer
ethylene terephthalate with repeating (C10H8O4) units (Islam et
al., 2018). PET can exist in three states: an amorphous state, an
oriented or partially crystalline state, and a highly crystalline state. Most
applications require orientation or crystallization to increase the strength as well
as to improve high temperature properties (Remington, 2006). PET
offers many advantages for packaging applications such as high
strength, lightweight, excellent strength, clarity and
chemical resistance, and good barrier for liquid and gas
▶ Polystyrene packaging is durable but lightweight, which means that it won’t add to
overheads in the way that bulky and weighty alternatives might do. However,
saving money isn’t the only reason why pharmaceutical companies choose
polystyrene packaging. Because it’s an effective insulator, it keeps
temperatures inside a box stable. When moving medicine, this can be a critical
factor and it is often of vital importance that the contents of a delivery are not
exposed to extremes of heat or cold.
Properties

▶ Lightweight with a high strength-to-weight ratio

▶ Can be manufactured inexpensively and mass produced
▶ Water resistant
▶ Shock resistant
▶ Thermally and electrically insulating
▶ Merits
▶ It has low thermal and electrical resistance
▶ It is resistant to weak mineral acids
▶ If remains unaffected by inorganic salts
▶ It is resistant to slight pH changes

▶ Demerits
▶ Low mechanical strength
▶ Expansion rate is high