In today's world, the role of medicine extends far beyond merely treating illness—it's increasingly focused on preventing disease and promoting overall health through nutraceuticals. However, creating these medicines is only part of the equation; their packaging is just as critical to their effectiveness.
Among the various factors influencing packaging, moisture control plays a pivotal role. Proper moisture control is essential not only for preserving the product during storage and transit but also for maintaining its potency, safety, and overall integrity.
This blog will tell us why and how to prevent drug degradation due to humidity.
What are the Effects of Moisture on Medicines?
Moisture can damage medicines to greater lengths; water vapour is the major source of contamination that hampers the quality of drugs by changing their chemical composition, texture, and colour and reducing their shelf life.
Uncontrollable humidity leads to the degradation of both active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and excipients. High levels of humidity cause hydrolysis in the APIs, diminishing their medicinal effect.
So now you know what excess moisture can do to your precious life-saving medicines, but do you know that a well-regulated moisture environment is required? Too little humidity can also affect the physical properties of drugs, such as making them too hard.
Why Pharma Desiccants Are the Top Choice for Moisture Control in Packaging?
To effectively control moisture for the stability of pharmaceutical products, various solutions are available. Among the best moisture control methods for pharmaceutical packaging are pharmaceutical desiccants.
These desiccants play a crucial role in the packaging process, as they are specifically designed to absorb moisture from the environment and keep medicines dry. By preserving the quality of the products, they help extend their shelf life. The pharmaceutical industry has been using these desiccants for many years, particularly in the packaging of tablets, pills, and other pharmaceutical items.
The desiccants remove moisture from the air inside the packaging, keeping the environment dry and protecting the medicines from mould, bacteria, and chemical changes.
The desiccants are made up of silica gel, clay or molecular sieves, known for their water-absorbing qualities. When you open the bottle of your medicine, some amount of air goes inside; the desiccants absorb the moisture present in this air and keep the products dry.
The desiccant is a very important part of the pharma industry, as even little exposure to humidity or moisture can break them down and reduce their potency, this will directly impact the health of people in need of an effective treatment.
Examples of Pharmaceutical Desiccants:
Pharma Desiccant offers a range of high-quality desiccant products tailored to meet the unique requirements of the pharmaceutical industry, such as -
1. Pillow pak
The pillow packs are popular for their moisture-absorbing capacity and for keeping the packaging dry for a longer period; they are widely used in the pharma as well as in food, electronics, textile and medical diagnostics industries.
These packets are filled with moisture-resistant molecular sieves. The package is made of Tyvek paper, which is non-terable and has a high absorption capacity.
2. unit Pak
The unit pak desiccants protect the product from moisture during transportation, storage and packaging. They are small desiccants crafted in a way to absorb moisture and protect medicines from humidity. Apart from pharmaceuticals, they are also used in the food industry.
3. Canister
A desiccant canister is a container that is crafted to hold a moisture-absorbing material (desiccant). This helps protect moisture-sensitive products from degrading. The canister is filled with silica gel, activated carbon, molecular sieves and 50-%-50% Blend.
For maximum moisture absorption, these canisters are placed in bottles or vials. It also helps maintain a dry environment inside the sealed space (such as a storage container, shipping box, or pharmaceutical bottle). The cansisters come in various sizes depending on the need of product size. Some are reusable, while others are single-use.
These canisters are commonly used in various industries, including pharmaceuticals, food, electronics, and manufacturing, to maintain a dry environment and ensure the longevity and stability of products.
4. Humidity Indicator Card
Everything comes with a date of expiry; just like that, the effectiveness of desiccants also comes with an end date. So it's very crucial to monitor the moisture level inside the packaging to ensure the functioning of the desiccant and intrigue of the product. There is a need for the humidity indicator card here because, without any medium to monitor, it's impossible to tell if the desiccant is still working or not.
A humidity indicator card is placed alongside the desiccant inside the packaging, providing a visual cue; if the card changes colour, it indicates high humidity. Changed colour is a sign that it's time to replace the desiccant as it is saturated.
Now, you must be wondering about the cost, but humidity indicator cards are low-cost,
Humidity indicator cards are low-cost, easy to use, and non-intrusive. They don't require sophisticated technology or training to interpret, making them an ideal solution for the pharmaceutical industry to ensure that moisture control systems are working as expected.
Wrap It Up!
Pharma Desiccant offers a range of high-quality desiccant products tailored to meet the unique requirements of the pharmaceutical industry. To provide the best protection for a range of pharmaceutical formulations, each product comes in a variety of sizes and absorption capabilities.
Our desiccants are made especially to protect your products against moisture, oxygen, and odor degradation, whether you're protecting tablets, capsules, injectables, or diagnostic kits.
