Pharmaceutical and Medical Packaging News
Magazine
PMPN Article Index
Originally Published February 1998
PRODUCT UPDATE
Protective Tubes
Pharmaceutical tubes are expected both to protect and to promote their contents.
Pharmaceutical tubes often look as attractive as their toothpaste- and cosmetic-containing counterparts, but in some instances they play a much more critical role. These tubes are often called upon to provide barriers to liquids and odors, tamper-evidency, and child resistance.
To meet such critical demands, tube manufacturers offer tubes in a range of materials including metals, plastics, papers, and laminates. Several materials accommodate eye-catching graphics and colors, enabling pharmaceutical companies to communicate brand names as well as product directions in interesting and memorable manners. And variety in tube styles helps companies choose the closures and handling methods most appropriate for their targeted audience.
Squeezable tubes feature a snap-tip design, allowing operators to use them with one hand. Pressing the tip with one finger breaks it open cleanly. The tubes are supplied as sterile packages that can be resterilized using gas or gamma. The company offers these tubes to both the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Horizon Medical Inc., Santa Ana, CA.
Plastic and paper tubes produced in custom sizes and colors can be supplied with flat- or rolled-end caps. The manufacturer produces small-diameter, spiral-wound tubing in paper, resin-impregnated paper, as well as various types of plastic films and extruded plastic tubes. Stone Industrial, College Park, MD.
A wide range of plastic and Glaminate tubes are suited for the healthcare industry. Included are single-layer polyethylene and polypropylene tubes, multilayer coextruded tubes, and a wide range of laminated tubes made from select polyethylene resins and aluminum foil to meet the barrier requirements of pharmaceutical products. American National Can Co., Cebal Tubes North America, Norwalk, CT.
A manufacturer of collapsible aluminum tubes offers a range of stand-up caps designed for OTC use. Available in 3/4-, 7/8-, and 1-in. diameters, the tubes have a plastic threaded outsert and are blind-ended for tamper-evidence. Product applications include toothpastes and topicals. Pressta Ltd., Europak Ltd., Medfield, MA.
Laminate tubes combine the flexibility, durability, and decorability of plastic with the barrier properties of metal and other special materials. The tubes feature side seams of only 6 mm, leaving more space for graphics than do tubes with larger seams. Graphics can be printed in six colors to attract consumer attention. The tubes are suitable packages for chemically active products. Montebello Packaging Inc., Oak Park, IL.
TUBES SOURCE LIST
- American National Can Co., Cebal Tubes North America, Norwalk, CT
- C.P. Packaging, Jamesburg, NJ
- Horizon Medical Inc., Santa Ana, CA
- Montebello Packaging Inc., Oak Park, IL
- Pressta Ltd., Europak Ltd., Medfield, MA
- Stone Industrial, College Park, MD
