Medical Packaging Inc., LLC (MPI) is excited to announce the release of our new Pak-EDGE^® UD Barcode Labeling Software Version 2.0. 

The latest edition of our customizable labeling program, which provides user interface for MPI’s packaging solutions, offers simplified access to packaging features, enhanced security options, increased library capabilities and additional design elements to users for their medication labeling needs.

The design enhancements and added improvements to our barcode labeling software support our commitment to hospital pharmacy and pharmaceutical professionals with establishing medication management that increases efficiency and enhances patient safety.

Learn more about barcode labeling software by visiting the product page on our website. Please feel free to contact us to speak with a product expert for additional information, pricing and to order Pak-EDGE^® UD Barcode Labeling Software Version 2.0 for your facility.

In recent years, the pharmaceutical industry has been making use of the latest technology to help improve healthcare and meet regulatory compliance requirements. New technology trends, such as artificial intelligence and 3D printing, have provided innovative ways for the pharmaceutical industry to become more efficient and advance the ways in which medication is developed, packaged, and delivered to patients and consumers. The following are some of the top pharma tech trends that are making a notable impact on healthcare in the United States. 

Digital Technology in the Pharma Industry

1. Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) trends have led to major improvements in the pharmaceutical manufacturing process and patient identification. AI supports both automation and optimization in drug manufacturing processes. This helps improve efficiency, leading to reduced waste and lower risks of errors during drug manufacturing. AI and machine learning allows manufacturers to automate complicated tasks rather than manual labor, making drug manufacturing more efficient and accurate.

The use of AI has also resulted in improvements in patient identification. Being able to identify patients accurately reduces the risk of errors during drug development. A lower risk of medication errors is important since these errors can lead to serious and even fatal effects. Healthcare professionals in the pharmaceutical industry are turning to the use of AI more because of the added enhancements in patient identification and drug manufacturing processes.

2. Ability to Analyze and Store Large Amounts of Data

Pharma companies require large amounts of data to be analyzed and stored as part of the drug development process. From the discovery and development stage to the pre-clinical and clinical research stages, researchers need an efficient way to have all the data evaluated. Digital transformation is making it possible for substantial amounts of data to be analyzed as part of the drug development process.

The ability to analyze big data efficiently promotes a continuous developmental process in the pharmaceutical industry. This is important due to the rise in precision medicine, which helps provide patients with more effective treatment based on several factors, such as genetics and environment. A continuous developmental process provides pharmaceutical companies with a competitive advantage while also benefiting patients by supplying better care and treatment.

More pharmaceutical companies are depending on the use of advanced technologies that allows larger data amounts to be evaluated and used for continuous improvements. To securely store this large amount of data and sensitive information, organizations are relying heavily on cloud technology. Cloud computing allows for pharmaceutical research teams to collaborate and innovate quickly, utilizing an on-demand IT environment that makes data, like labs and medical imaging, easily accessible. Not only is cloud-based infrastructure highly secure, the scalability and efficiency help pharmaceutical companies get to market faster.

3. Blockchain Technology

With the increase in online transactions and orders for medications, consumers are at risk of ending up with counterfeit medicine or substandard drugs. In some cases, this can lead to serious health consequences. Consumers are also at risk of taking medications that do not provide the effects needed to treat or manage a health condition. The pharmaceutical industry’s technological transformation has led to better ways of protecting consumers from the risk of fake and substandard medications, along with ensuring that patients receive the right medication.

Blockchain technology is providing protection from counterfeit and substandard drugs on the market. This technology uses encryption and a decentralized database to help prevent fraud from occurring. The pharmaceutical industry has been adopting the use of blockchain technology to avoid having data stored in a centralized database, where it can become compromised. The increasing reliance on this technology is expected to lead to a significant reduction in substandard and fake medications purchased online. 

4. Real-World Data

Real-world data from electronic health records, claims data, wearable technology, medical devices, and other sources provides valuable information on the experience of patients as they interact with healthcare providers and systems. This information is leading to improvements in the development of medications. Real-world data supports innovation in the drug development process, while also playing a role in assessing the effectiveness of medications. These sources of data are considered reliable and are used to help make improvements to existing medications or to produce new medications as needed. Researchers have been using this data in designing and conducting clinical trials.

Real-world data is also having an impact on regulatory decision regarding medications. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is increasingly relying on the use of real-world data, as well as real-world evidence, to evaluate the safety of medications on the market and monitor adverse events associated with these drug discoveries.

5. Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry is becoming increasingly important as more complex security risks emerge. Because healthcare organizations possess so much important patient data, they are at an elevated risk for attack. Pharma executives and hospital directors need to be able to protect sensitive data from these attacks, which are on the rise. Improvements in cybersecurity are providing healthcare directors with the ability to keep sensitive data protected. Several security risks are increasing in the pharmaceutical industry, such as the use of third-party vendors, ransomware, phishing attacks, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Pharmacies and hospitals must have the ability to meet these challenges and take steps to prevent cyber-attacks from compromising patient and drug data. 

The development of cybersecurity procedures, controls, and risk management solutions gives hospital and pharmacy directors effective ways to keep sensitive information safe from cyber-attacks. The increased focus on raising security awareness among employees through training is also helping healthcare facilities protect this information. As cyber-attacks increase, pharmacy and hospital directors are taking a more holistic approach to preventing them from occurring, including making use of available security solutions and raising awareness. 

Production Processes

1. Manufacturing to Meet Market Dynamics

The market dynamics of the pharmaceutical industry have been changing in recent years. Tech trends have been providing ways for pharmaceutical companies to keep up with these shifting dynamics. Changes in manufacturing have included the production of smaller batches in response to the trend in personalized medicine. The use of precision medicine or personalized medicine does not require large batches of medication to be produced. Technological trends in manufacturing are making it possible for companies to produce small batches as needed.

Changing market dynamics that reflect the increasing use of targeted therapies require the development of specialized manufacturing facilities. The smaller facilities are needed to manage low volume production rather than high volume production. These manufacturing facilities rely on technological developments to produce high-value, personalized medication instead of mass-producing low-cost medications aimed at a much wider group of consumers. 

2. Continuous Manufacturing Process

Pharmaceutical companies look for ways to improve operational efficiency and productivity during the manufacturing process. Technological trends are promoting a continuous manufacturing process from pharmaceutical research labs to the market. Digital tools are providing pharmaceutical companies with the ability to get drugs to the market faster, reduce their environmental footprints, and provide product quality that is more consistent. The use of these digital tools has been occurring in small molecule drug facilities and bioprocessing. With these tools, companies have been able to reduce operating costs and improve process control during manufacturing. 

Continuous manufacturing processes in the pharmaceutical industry offers notable advantages over batch manufacturing. Instead of having to produce drugs in multiple steps with production pauses in between each step, medications can be manufactured in a nonstop process. With the advantages that continuous manufacturing provides, such as better quality and a lower risk of human error, the use of these digital tools is on the rise. 

3. Advanced 3D Printing of Human Tissue

The use of 3D printing has also been increasing in the healthcare industry. Healthcare research has focused on the use of this technology to print human tissue for patients who need organ transplants. Advances in 3D printing have also been beneficial for the pharmaceutical industry. The ability to use this technology to print human tissue is expected to provide a safer way to conduct clinical trials involving medications. Current methods rely on the use of human volunteers, which includes a risk of having these individuals experience an adverse reaction.

With the use of 3D printing, drug testing facilities might be able to conduct trials involving human tissue rather than using human volunteers. This could lead to significant improvements in the safety of clinical drug trials. More research is needed to reach the point where 3D printing can be relied on for these drug trials, but advancements in this technology show promise.

4. Growth in CDMO Market

The growth in the contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) market is expected to continue, making it essential for pharmaceutical companies to meet the challenges that come with it. This market is made up of companies that develop and manufacture drugs rather than manufacturing pre-formulated drugs as contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs) do. The main challenge for CDMOs tends to involve speed, since these companies need to go through a more complex process before heading to the market. Tech trends in the pharmaceutical industry for CDMOs focus on outsourcing product development, clinical testing, and regulatory support. This is done to help medications reach the market more quickly, which helps to make drugs more readily available for consumers. 

MPI Offers State-of-the-Art Solutions for Medication Packaging

Medical Packaging Inc., LLC (MPI) offers solutions for pharmacy and hospital directors to help ensure high-quality unit dose packaging using state-of-the-art technology. Our medication packaging solutions are carefully tailored to each customer’s unique needs, helping keep patients safe by reducing the risk of errors. We serve specialty pharmaceutical manufacturers and contract drug manufacturing organizations with liquid cup unit dose packaging systems that deliver high-quality, FDA-compliant packages at a low price point.  With our Drug Master File, MPI can provide speed-to-market regulatory and technical support to medical and pharmaceutical market clients. Contact us to learn more about how our products and services can help streamline your pharmaceutical packaging processes.

U.S. News & World Report released their 2022-23 Best Hospitals rankings. The annual rankings acknowledge hospitals for outstanding performance in delivering complex and common care while also helping patients find a hospital with the resources needed for skilled inpatient care, especially those with life-threatening or rare conditions.

Nearly 5,000 hospitals nationwide were evaluated based on analysis gathered on performance in adult and pediatric clinical specialties, procedures and conditions. About 65% of the Top 20 hospitals are Medical Packaging Inc., LLC (MPI) customers and more than ¾ of them are repeat customers with more than one MPI packaging solution being utilized in their facility.

The rankings for the Honor Roll consider 15 areas of complex specialty care and 20 specific procedure and conditions, such as heart bypass and lung cancer surgery.

Please click here to view the complete list of recognized hospitals and the methodology used in the rankings.

Medical Packaging Inc., LLC (MPI) is pleased to announce that the company has completed a Type III Drug Master File (DMF) submittal to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). This will enhance MPI’s customer partnerships by providing speed-to-market regulatory and technical support related to our packaging components with our medical and pharmaceutical market clients.

Establishing a DMF enables MPI to rapidly support customers’ compliance and filing needs within the pharmaceutical industry as well as meet the needs of pharmaceutical drug manufacturers and contract drug manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) for FDA-compliant liquid cup packaging capabilities.

“Typically, MPI has relied on our vendors and sub-vendors to obtain all necessary regulatory and technical documents, sometimes adding delays while awaiting critical support files, which could result in delayed FDA Filings by customers. Having a DMF allows us to better support our customers in meeting and exceeding expectations for regulatory and technical requirements, confirming a high-quality, safe product is delivered, and expediting the application process during a New Drug Application (NDA) or Abbreviated New Drug Filing (ANDA),” said John Zripko, President & CEO for MPI.

Pediatric medication errors, such as incorrect dosages, can occur in a wide range of healthcare settings, including hospitals, outpatient clinics, emergency departments and at home. Due to certain risk factors in children, such as their size, medication errors can lead to serious and potentially life-threatening adverse reactions. According to The Joint Commission, potential adverse drug events occurred as much as three times more often in pediatric patients than adult patients. 

Administering and dispensing medication to pediatric patients has unique challenges, which raises the risk of medication errors. In many cases, formulating and packaging medications is done for the adult population rather than children. Making these medications safe for children involves carefully determining and adjusting dosages. Other challenges include the fact that children’s immune systems, renal functions, and hepatic functions are still developing, which can make it more difficult for them to tolerate medication errors. They may also have a harder time communicating about any side effects or reactions they are experiencing when taking medication.

Improving administration and dispensing of pediatric medication in medical facilities and in the home can help reduce the risk of pediatric medication errors. Pediatric medication safety training programs for healthcare workers and the use of technology offer important ways to lower the risk of medication inaccuracy. The following information can help pharmacies, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities promote pediatric medication safety. 

Medication Administration and Dispensing

Administering and dispensing medication to pediatric patients entails a higher risk for error when certain factors are not considered. Healthcare workers and pharmacists can lower the risk in the following ways. 

Pediatric Safety or Approval Confirmation

Confirming which drugs are safe or approved for use in children is the first step in promoting medication safety. Pharmacists and other healthcare workers who oversee drug administration and dispensing should ensure that all medications given to pediatric patients are considered safe or have been approved by the FDA for its intended use. Confirming this information can help reduce the risk of having children take medications that are unsafe or not approved.

Dosing Factors

When determining the proper medication dosage for pediatric patients, pharmacists and other healthcare providers should consider the following factors:

• Patient’s weight
• Patient’s age
• Body surface area
• Clinically approved weight-based dosage ranges

When calculating pediatric medication dosages, especially for liquid medicines, weight is often used rather than age. Using weight-based ranges can offer a more accurate way to determine the correct dosage for children instead of basing dosages on age due to variations in body size at different ages. Utilizing body surface area to determine dosage involves considering a patient’s height and weight, which can provide a more accurate drug dosage.

Appropriate Dosage Form

Improving pediatric medication safety involves determining the appropriate dosage form for different prescription medications. Pharmacists and other healthcare workers should determine whether a tablet or liquid form is more appropriate for pediatric patients. Several factors, including age, should be considered. Liquid forms are typically used for infants and younger children, while tablet forms may be appropriate for older children. Regardless of whether tablet or liquid forms, the dosage should be accurate.

Medication Labels

Medication errors can occur due to unclear or incorrect information on labels. When determining the content for pediatric medication labels, pharmacists and other healthcare workers should ensure that the following information is clearly stated:

• Name of medication
• When to take medication
• How much medication to take
• Proper storage instructions
• Possible side effects or reactions of medication
• Warnings about allergic reactions to medication ingredients
• What to do if a patient misses a dosage

Ensuring that all relevant information is included on the label helps decrease the risk of patient harm, due to medication errors or adverse drug reactions.

Medication Error Factors

Hospital and healthcare workers should also be familiar with the factors that may contribute to pediatric medication errors. Recognizing these factors and avoiding them can significantly reduce the risk of patient harm. Examples of these factors include the following:

• Do not abbreviate or shorten the names of medications on labels
• Do not place a zero after a whole number, such as 1.0 or 2.0, since this can cause confusion about dosage amounts
• Place a zero to the left of a decimal point if required, such as 0.1 or 0.2 mg, to avoid confusion over dosage amounts

Side Effects and Adverse Reactions

When determining the content for pediatric medication packaging and labeling, potential side effects and adverse reactions must be clearly communicated. This content should include a list of side effects, both common and rare, that may occur when a medication is consumed. Possible adverse reactions also need to be listed, along with the signs and symptoms associated with the reactions. Pediatric medication labels and packaging should also provide clear instructions on what to do if patients show any signs or symptoms of adverse effects, such as contacting a physician or seeking emergency medical services. This helps to ensure that family members who are administering medication to children know how to handle an adverse event if one occurs. 

Create a Pediatric Medication Safety Training Program

Having a pediatric medication safety training program in place helps to ensure that healthcare staff are prepared to administer or dispense medication orders as safely as possible. Healthcare directors can implement these programs as part of a commitment to improving pediatric medication safety. When creating these programs, healthcare directors consider the following guidelines.

Make the Program Mandatory for New Staff

New staff members should go through the pediatric medication safety training program. Including this training as part of the process for onboarding new staff can help reduce the risk of medical errors among the pediatric population. Once staff have completed this training program, they should be knowledgeable about safely administering and dispensing medication to pediatric patients.

Include Early Exposure to Pediatric Patients in Pharmacist Training Programs

Pharmacist training programs should provide opportunities for trainees to have early exposure to pediatric patients. This allows trainees to gain experience treating young patients and learn more about safety protocols when administering and dispensing pediatric medication.

Develop Pediatric Drug Lists for Specific Facilities

Pharmacists and other healthcare staff should create a list of pediatric drugs that are specific to their facility. For example, an emergency department might have a different list of medications as opposed to an oncology unit in a pediatric hospital. Staff should  evaluate the list developed and focus on determining which medications are considered high-risk for that specific facility. This information can help lower the risk of pediatric medication errors and improve pediatric patient safety.

 Use External Resources

External resources from The Joint Commission, the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention, and other organizations provide valuable information on pediatric medication safety. Utilizing these resources can help to ensure that pharmacists and other healthcare workers are up to date on the latest pediatric advisory recommendations and changes to pediatric medication labeling. This information should be communicated to any staff members that manage pediatric medication at hospitals and other facilities to reduce the risk of errors. 

Technology

The use of technology can significantly improve pediatric patient safety when medications are administered or dispensed. In some cases, technology can reduce the risk of human errors that can lead to incorrect dosages or other pediatric medication errors.

Improve Overall Safety

Pharmacists and healthcare directors should choose software programs and other technology that helps to improve overall safety and reduces the risk of preventable harm in administering and dispensing medication. Smart pumps and similar technological devices for healthcare facilities can help to provide an appropriate dose of medication to pediatric inpatients. However, these devices should not be considered a guarantee that medication errors will not occur. Any technology utilized to improve medical care should be used correctly and checked regularly to make sure errors are not occurring.

Use Automation

Using automation, such as computerized physician order entry, clinical decision support tools, and pharmacy automation, can improve dosage accuracy and other factors that help prevent medication errors. These tools can dispense the correct dose of pediatric medication, sync patient records, automate medication reconciliation, and handle other medication safety tasks. Automation used in a hospital pharmacy should be checked regularly for accuracy to prevent errors.

Reduce Medication Errors

Technology that is used for lowering medication errors is typically designed for adult medication. As with the formulation and packaging of pediatric drugs, this technology needs to be adapted for pediatric medication. Technological advances such as barcoding typically requires careful adjustments for use with pediatric medications.

Medical Packaging Inc., LLC (MPI) is dedicated to helping healthcare professionals reduce the risk of pediatric medication errors. MPI offers high-quality unit dose medication and pharmaceutical packaging and labeling systems, MPI-certified consumable materials, and other products to help pharmacies, hospitals, and other medical facilities ensure pediatric medication safety. Contact MPI to learn more about medical packaging solutions.