In 2011, U.S. pharmacy and drug store sales reached $231.46 billion. While many patients and consumers think of pharmacy sales as over the counter purchases with a local pharmacist filling a prescription, more and more sales are handled in a variety of other ways. E-pedigree serialisation, sometimes called electronic pedigree, is an electronic documention which provides data on the history of a particular drug batch. The accompanying medical blister packaging satisfies the requirement for a drug documentation process while also serving as a convenient electronic form.
Blister packaging is often used for pharmaceuticals and includes e-pedigree serialisation information so that the patient can verify the dosage, origin and expiration of a prescribed drug. The peelable lamination is used for easy opening and the blister packs are often packaged together in a thin cardboard package that also includes corresponding e-pedigree serialisation codes.
Patients who receive their prescriptions through the mail order process are able to use this track and trace pharmaceutical packaging to insure that they are receiving non-conterfeit products. As states continue to create laws to monitor the delivery and acceptance of these medicines, companies are often required to change the tyoe of types of blister packaging that they use for their distribution.
Many pharmaceutical companies also require customized packaging for injectable products that include any kind of auto injector pens or sterilized bottles. Epinephrine pens, for example, which are needed for many patients with extreme allergy situations require custom packaging so that the information for use is available in every part of the package, including the outside carton, the air tight foil envelope, as well as on the auto injector pen itself. These carefully considered and designed packages gives patients, physicians, and pharmacist?s access to drug product information.