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Driving cost out of medical packaging: in the search for ways to reduce the cost of packaging a medical device, a complete analysis of its packaging system is recommended, which includes its secondary and tertiary packaging as well as the manufacturing process. Several options are identified here to help in this cost saving objective.

Article Excerpt
Start at the beginning

Packaging engineers and purchasers of packaging materials are well aware of the mounting pressure to reduce costs. When developing a sterile barrier system for a device, the right balance between cost and protection should be incorporated into the package at the start of the project. Taking this approach will ensure the medical device is adequately protected and not over packaged. A less desirable approach is to use excessive amounts of materials in an effort to mitigate all risks. Designing in more materials than are necessary results in a medical device package that costs too much, adds to the waste stream and frustrates the end user because additional storage space and disposal costs are required.

If medical device manufacturers are not taking adequate measures to reduce costs, they will not be competitive in the future. This article provides ideas for reducing the cost of existing packaging and considerations on validation and qualification when changes are made. The process begins with a complete analysis of the sterile barrier system. However, this analysis should not be limited to the unit packaging, but should also include a thorough review of the secondary and tertiary packaging and the manufacturing process. Areas that should be explored and ideas for potential cost reductions are discussed below.

Unit package

In general, the sterile barrier system comes in the form of premade pouches, thermal form-fill-seal (TFFS) packages, trays with lids and bags with breathable...

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