What are the different types of pharmaceutical packaging
                     Everything You Need To Know 
About Pharmaceutical Packaging.
Created By : Meghmani
What Are The Different Types of 
Pharmaceutical Packaging?
The medical field has been playing an important role in everyone’s 
life not only in human life but also in the life of other living 
species. The most important part of the medical field is the 
“Medicine” and when it comes to medicine, the manufacturing 
process and the packaging play a very critical role.
Whether it’s any other product or medicine, packaging plays an 
important part in all.  Packaging has often been referred to as the 
5th P of the marketing mix. In the case of medicines, the packaging is 
not just part of the marketing mix but very critically related to the 
product features, application, and shelf life. The packaging of drugs is 
important to protect drugs from damage, germs, outer atmosphere, 
and bacteria and at the same time have to take care of child and old 
age safety concerns.
Types of Pharmaceutical Packaging:
• Containers
• Aluminium foil
• Injectibles/ Vials
• Bottles
• Cartons
• Paper Board
• Lamitubes
• Paper
• PVC Based Combinations
Packaging in the pharmaceutical industry varies from drug to drug and normally there are three 
levels of packaging commonly referred to as the primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging.
1. Primary packaging system is the material that first envelops the product and 
holds it i.e., those package components and subcomponents that actually come in 
contact with the product, or those that may have a direct effect on the product shelf-life 
e.g., ampoules and vials, prefilled syringes, IV containers, blister packs, etc.
2. Secondary packaging system is outside the primary packaging and used to group 
primary packages together e.g., cartons, boxes, shipping containers, injection trays, etc.
3. Tertiary packaging system is used for bulk handling and shipping e.g., barrel, 
container, edge protectors, etc.
Some commonly used types of 
primary pharmaceutical packaging are Ampoules, 
Vials, Blister packs, Bottles, and Sachet packaging. 
let’s check out each of them in detail.
Ampoules Packaging:
The ampoule packs are mainly taken in use for the packaging of a small number of liquid drugs. These 
containers are small in size compared to the vials packaging and are mostly used to store single-dose 
medicines and are made up of glass or plastic materials.
Vials Packaging:
Vial containers are also made of glass and plastic materials but are comparatively larger 
in size than the ampoules containers. These containers are also used to store liquid, solid, 
or powder drugs but their capacity to store drugs is more compared to the ampoules 
containers.
Blister packs:
• Blister packs are commonly used for the packaging of solid doses like tablets and capsules & 
Losenges. The packs are mainly made up of thermoformed plastics and manufactured with the 
lidding of aluminum foil or plastic that could be torn using hand. A state-of-the-art blister pack 
usually comprises a basic coat of aluminium or robust paper or plastic and a transparent plastic film 
through which the individual tablets can then be squeezed one by one.
• This has proved cost-effective to produce and also less wasteful than other types of packaging, as it 
requires relatively little material.
• Tablets are easy to remove and to dose, thus contributing to better patient satisfaction.
• The transparent film makes it possible to identify a product quickly and to enhance its advertising 
impact at the POS.
• Over the past 40 years, blister packs have been adopted globally by the pharmaceutical industry 
because of the flexibility in design and high productivity that the process delivers for the packaging 
of oral solids.
• Blister packs act as perfect sealing agents for microbes and provide stable and reliable solutions for 
pills. Blister packaging material is getting more popular as it provides an aseptic solution.
• Dosing accuracy reduces all medication errors. Blister packs are gaining popularity owing to their 
“smart” features; one can track whether the pills are taken on time or not. Nowadays, blister packs 
are being linked with sensors that send alerts to smartphones, thereby reducing medication errors.
Bottles:
Pharmaceutical packaging bottles are usually available in two types of glass and plastic 
bottles. They are mostly available in orange and light brown color as these colors protect 
liquid drugs from ultraviolet lights.
Sachet Packaging:
Sachet packages are small pouch available in different shapes and sizes e.g: square and 
rectangle shapes. These pouches are mainly made up of a particular type of plastic, gives 
paper-pouch kind of look to the pouch and could be easily torn by the hand. These 
pouches are affordable and can only be used once, as once torn couldn’t be reused.
Benefits of Effective 
Pharmaceutical Packaging:
• Nowadays, there has been huge competition in every field. so, the outer look and 
packaging of the product play an important role, the pharmaceutical packaging is 
not just about attracting or convincing people to purchase the medicine but a lot 
more. To keep the drug safe packaging plays a very important role but the most 
critical aspect is the material used for packaging as the drugs should remain safe 
during the course of its shelf life and should not react with the material of the 
containers.
• The information and guidance mentioned over the packaging should be mentioned 
in detail, clear, and readable which would make packaging looking more effective 
and trustworthy.
• The effective packaging of drugs is really important, making drug packaging better 
not only benefits the patients but also increases the trust of the consumer to the 
particular brand which would indirectly increase sales.
Wrap-up:
• Well as we saw above there are being several ways to do pharmaceutical 
packaging, pharmaceutical packaging includes different types and materials so it’s 
essential to make sure that your medicines have been packed according to its 
physical and environmental requirements. We at “Uniworth Enterprise LLP
“ make sure to deliver effective, safe, and durable packaging according to the 
drug’s requirement.
• The “Uniworth Enterprise LLP” is the new venture of “Meghmani Group” 
established in 2016 especially for manufacturing packaging materials. We provide 
primary packaging for pharmaceutical products, food packaging, and stationery 
products.
• While coming to the pharmaceutical packaging, our specialization is into the rigid 
PVC film (Blister packaging), PVC/PVdC, Alu-Alu laminates (cold forming blister), 
and Triplex – PVC / PE / PVdC packaging. For more detail about our products and 
services you can reach us at uniworthllp.com
• While coming to the pharmaceutical packaging, our specialization is into the rigid 
PVC film (Blister packaging), PVC/PVdC, Alu-Alu laminates (cold forming blister), 
and Triplex – PVC / PE / PVdC packaging. For more detail about our products and 
services you can reach us at uniworthllp.com
• If you are looking for high quality and safe packaging for your drugs, we are always 
here to help you out and make your product packaging more effective and safer for 
your consumers. 
Connect With Us 
• Meghmani Dyes and Intermediates LLP 
• Address: Siddhi VinayakTowers, 9th Floor, B-Wing, Off, Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Hwy,    Makarba, 
Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380051
• Phone: 079 2681 2827
• Website: https://www.meghmaniglobalecom/  
• Email: [email protected] 
• Content Source: Meghmani