Pharmaceutical and Medical Packaging News
Magazine
PMPN Article Index
Originally Published November 1999
TUBE SUPPLEMENT
Thinking Small: The Emergence of Unit-of-Use Tubes
Tube suppliers are working to meet the needs of the unit-of-use pharmaceutical packaging market.
by Erik Swain, Senior Editor
Tubes are undergoing steady improvement as suppliers aim to address concerns about patient compliance and ease of use. A tube's significant characteristic is that it allows for precise application of a product to a specific area of the body. This reduces waste and eliminates mess. Many tubes today are small, unit-of-use packages that ensure the patient receives an accurate, uncontaminated dose. While fulfilling these important functions, the tube maintains a familiar, professional-looking package that is comfortable for the patient and healthy for a pharmaceutical company's image.
Demand for unit-of-use packaging for solid drug forms has grown because of the needs for better patient compliance and for better barriers against moisture and oxygen. These same concerns apply to semisolid and liquid forms, and there appears to be a growing need for unit-of-use packaging solutions for them as well.
Norden's unit-of-use tube enables consumers to apply product directly to hair or skin.
With that in mind, some tube suppliers have begun offering small unit-of-use tubes as a potential solution. "Pharmaceutical companies are willing to pay for unit-of-use packages because of stricter patient compliance requirements from regulatory bodies and the costs of cases where there is misuse, overdose, or underdose," says Lorna Runkle, business development manager at CP Packaging (Jamesburg, NJ), an operating unit of algroup wheaton.
ADVANTAGES
Tubes are not the only way to package semisolids or liquids in a unit-dose format. Alternatives include packets, sachets, and ampules. But in certain cases, suppliers say, tubes are most appropriate because they can provide functions that the other forms can't.
The tube's most prominent attribute is that it enables a directed application. If the medication is for a hard-to-reach area such as under the tongue or if its application to unintended areas can be toxic, as in the case of animal health products, then a unit-of-use tube is preferred because of its application precision. It also can be supplied with special application devices, such as sponges or luer applicators.
"One problem with sachets is that you can't apply them to a particular area," says Douglas Stewart, vice president of sales and marketing at Montebello Packaging (Oak Park, IL). "You squeeze it out and hope it hits. With a tube, you apply it directly to the affected area. We have one applicator that can release the product through a one-millimeter orifice. You can apply that to a very defined area. Drug manufacturers should work closely with their suppliers to develop the best delivery system for the product."
Another advantage of tubes is that consumers are familiar with the format and know instantly that the medication can be dispensed much like the toothpaste they use every day. That familiarity enables the drug manufacturer to play on brand identification in a way that isn't possible with a packet or a sachet.
Photo courtesy of Andrew W. Martin Co.
"If you have larger tube sizes, you can duplicate the trade look in the smaller packages," says James Cooper, vice president of sales and marketing at CCL Container, Tube Div. (Oak Ridge, NJ). "If you can get the same graphics and the same look on the unit-of-use tubes, that brings consistency in the marketplace. With the alternatives, they don't come in larger sizes, so the consistency is not possible."
Unit-of-use tubes can also be an alternative to multiuse syringes, especially in dentistry, says Steve Dilts, director of sales and marketing at Unicep Packaging Inc. (Sandpoint, ID). "A good number of dental products come in multiuse syringes, but how effectively can you sterilize them?" he says. "This way, there is no contamination from patient to patient."
Photo courtesy of Andrew W. Martin Co.
For those who want something along the lines of a glass ampule but would rather use plastic, the unit-of-use tube makes sense and may be even easier to use, says Francesca Fazzolari, president of James Alexander Corp. (Blairstown, NJ). "It's very easy to squeeze. You don't even need two hands," she says. Her firm introduced a unit-of-use tube this year.
Sample tubes from Andrew M. Martin Co. are conveniently housed in a tray until use.
Fazzolari also notes that the print on her plastic products looks just as professional as it does on the glass ones. "I was a doubter myself," she says. "But I am very pleased with how it looks."
DISADVANTAGES
While the print quality on unit-of-use tubes can be quite good, there isn't a lot of room for print. "When you're dealing with such a small package size, you are limited in the information you can print on there," says Dilts of Unicep. "Generally, we find that our tubes go into a secondary package that has instructions and warnings. But we do have fine-character ink-jet print that can put lot numbers and expiration dates on the tubes."
Nonreclosable tubes from Andrew M. Martin Co. prevent reuse.
Also, the variety of materials used for unit-of-use tubes is not as great as for conventional tubes. Runkle of CP says that their unit-of-use tubes are injection molded, and fewer resins are compatible with that process. CP generally uses polypropylene and low-density polyethylene, she says. Other suppliers use high-density polyethylene or polyvinyl chloride as well. The material selected usually depends on how squeezable the tube must be or how strong a barrier is needed.
MACHINERY
The machinery used to fill unit-of-use tubes has to be considered very carefully. "With microvolumes, a ±1% fill accuracy" may not be adequate, says Gary Lowden, sales manager at ProSys Innovative Packaging Equipment (Webb City, MO). "The ability to fill them accurately is extremely critical."
There are also special handling considerations, he says, because most of the weight of the tube is in the cap. "The caps tend to upend the tubes, so they are not as stable as the larger sizes."
Tube fillers from Norden that are designed to handle standard-sized tubes can be equipped easily for unit-of-use tubes.
Before the tubes reach the filler they need to go through a separate feeding machine, says Jim Slamon, applications engineer at IWK Packaging Machinery Inc. (Fairfield, NJ). That machine can do all of the extra sorting and orienting automatically, making it an efficient process, he says.
While it is conceivable that a filler could handle both unit-dose and regular tubes, Slamon says, "the ones we have sold have been dedicated to one or the other. The unit-dose filler is a very specific application for which we use a special pump."
There is another way to make and fill unit-of-use tubes. Vital Pharma Inc. (Riviera Beach, FL) uses blow-fill-seal technology, says Albert J. Perla, director of business development. "Containers are formed from extruded plastic resin, filled, and sealed—all in one continuous operation. This is a very clean and efficient process. Even if the product does not need to be sterile, it can be produced to a certain level of cleanliness."
Other advantages, he says, are that the method can accommodate custom-designed tubes of virtually any size or shape, and that it "saves you the effort of purchasing and handling the tubes and components, cleaning them, and running them on a separate filling line."
MARKET OUTLOOK
Physician samples, which have always been a staple of unit-dose packaging, as well as animal health products, are currently in great demand. "Tick and flea treatments for dogs and cats have become a huge market," says Göran Adolfsson, president of Norden Inc. (Branchburg, NJ). "That industry has also converted more pharmaceutical products, such as heartworm medications, into topical treatments that can be packaged in unit-dose tubes."
Unicep's MicroDose can be used to apply product to tight spots, such as the ear or mouth.
Some suppliers that have focused exclusively on larger tubes are preparing to enter the unit-of-use market. "We are confident that the tube package itself has features that consumers find very convenient and safe," says Ron Kieras, vice president of technology and engineering at Thatcher Tubes LLC (Woodstock, IL). "Merging full-barrier tube technology with unit-of-use packaging will offer tremendous benefits to new pharmaceutical applications."
But the unit-of-use tube remains an emerging solution, and not everyone sees a great need for it. "While we have not seen a strong push from our customers to pursue unit-dose packaging, there is an increased interest in measured-dose packaging opportunities that are not necessarily unit-of-use in which you squeeze the tube and get the same amount of product out every time," says Michael Hoard, market manager at Cebal America (Norwalk, CT).
While it may catch on better for some products than others, the unit-of-use tube seems to have carved out a niche in the packaging landscape. "Healthcare consumers have been exposed to it and like it," Dilts says. "It also brings safety and controlled dosages. Therefore, demand will continue to increase."
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