March 2003 -
Pill protect™ launches to help pharmaceutical industry reach child resistant / senior friendly compliance with flexible packaging solutions. Peel-and-push self-adhesive layer offers safety with improved branding and labelling opportunities on blister-packs.

12th March, 2003, Tonbridge, UK – A newly formed company, Pill protect™ was launched today to provide the European pharmaceutical industry with a highly flexible and innovative child resistant / senior friendly (CR/SF) solution for blister-packed drugs.

With the new standard (BS 8404) for child resistance expected to become a legal requirement for blister-packed paracetamol, aspirin and iron tablets by October 2003, Pill protect™ is the first company to bring to market a comprehensive technical and commercial solution that will enable pharmaceutical companies to rapidly comply with new legislation while minimizing cost, turnaround times and disruption to existing production lines. Pill protect™ also offers customers a range of new ‘on-pack’ marketing and branding opportunities, previously not possible with conventional foilbacked products.

“With an average of some 2000 annual admissions to hospital of children suffering from accidental overdoses on pain-killers and following the tragic death of a toddler after he consumed iron tablets found in a blister-pack, the UK government, in conjunction with the Medicines Control Agency (MCA) is pushing legislation through on child resistance for blister-packed drugs. All the major manufacturers and retailers are looking for solutions to address this and that is why Pill protect™ has been launched as an end-to-end solution that offers rapid compliance with minimum disruption.” comments Jonathan Bobbett, managing director of Pill protect™. Pill protect™ comprises two key elements as part of its overall solution for pharmaceutical companies. The first is in the patented design and construction of the ‘peel-n-push’ layer that is easily applied to the backing foil of existing licensed blister-packs. This can be introduced to high-speed production lines with minimal investment and a very low impact on production throughput. Because Pill protect™ simply adds a secondary layer to an existing pack, licenses will not need to be changed for CR compliance, simply amended.

A key aspect of the Pill protect™ solution is its commercial delivery. Because each company has its own particular packaging, branding and customer information requirements, a dedicated service delivery arm has also been set up to ensure that customers reach compliance quickly while maximizing the marketing and branding opportunities presented by Pill protect™. The after-sales service will also offer a convenient and quick re-ordering facility, reducing the need for manufacturers and packers to hold stock. The Pill protect™ service arm offers branding, graphic design and artwork services, online order placement and tracking, technical and production support and engineering and design consultancy.

Pill protect™ combines permanent and peelable adhesives on a secondary layer which is laid down in a pattern to match the layout of the blister and the tablet pockets. The peelable sections are over the pocket areas and are perforated. With these sections in place it is very difficult to push the tablets out, but when they are peeled back the tablets can be pushed through the foil. The clinical trials sector has used Pill protect™ for over two years, with some major pharmaceutical companies taking advantage of its flexibility and cost-effectiveness. It has been acknowledged by several leading industry bodies and is currently going through BS8404 testing.

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For more press information, please contact:
Media Enquiries
Tel: 0118 940 1539
Email: media@pillprotect.com

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