Pharmaceutical packaging plays a crucial role in protecting medications, ensuring safe delivery to patients, and extending shelf life. In Europe, blister packaging is the preferred choice due to its protective and functional benefits.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl) is the standard base material for pharmaceutical blister packaging with a market share of around 95%. Typically, blister packs are made from rigid PVC films, often coated with PVDC and combined with aluminum foil. This composition provides excellent barrier properties against moisture, oxygen, and contaminants, ensuring the stability and efficacy of medications.

typical pharma blister composition

Key Reasons to Choose PVC for Pharmaceutical Blister Packaging

SUPERIOR BARRIER PROTECTION

PVC provides excellent resistance to moisture, oxygen, and contaminants, preserving medication stability and extending shelf life. When coated with PVDC or combined with materials like CTFE or OPA/aluminium, its barrier properties are further enhanced, making it the industry standard for pharmaceutical blister packaging.

PROVEN SAFETY & INERT PROPERTIES

PVC is an inert, non-toxic material that does not interact with medications. Its long-standing use in pharmaceutical packaging demonstrates its safety, meeting strict international regulatory standards.

THERMOFORMABLE

PVC’s ability to be easily thermoformed into various shapes allows for versatile packaging solutions. Unlike other plastics, PVC blister films are formulated without plasticisers, ensuring the necessary rigidity while maintaining flexibility for easy processing.

COMPATIBILITY WITH OTHER MATERIALS

PVC can be effectively laminated or coated with other materials to enhance barrier properties. For example, PVDC coatings improve moisture and gas resistance, while aluminium backing provides additional protection against light and oxidation.

RESOURCE-EFFICIENT

PVC is derived primarily from salt and requires less fossil-based primary energy than alternative materials. This makes it a cost-effective material with a lower production footprint compared to solutions that rely heavily on oil-based resources.

RECYCLABLE

Rigid PVC can be recycled multiple times without losing its technical properties. VinylPlus® PharmPack, a collaboration of PVC film manufacturers, recyclers, and VinylPlus®, is actively working on solutions to improve the mechanical recycling of PVC-based blister packaging.
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Towards a Closed Loop for Rigid PVC Films

Mechanical recycling of pre-consumer PVC blister packaging waste is already well-established in Europe. The VinylPlus PharmPack project aims to enhance the circularity of rigid PVC films used in pharmaceutical packaging by improving recycling pathways. This involves collecting post-consumer waste for established mechanical recycling and demonstrating that high-quality recyclate can be recovered from advanced physical recycling technologies that can be used for new PVC films.
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