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suitable for healthcare

How to ensure your product label is suitable for healthcare

Once your pharmaceutical product is ready to be sold, it’s essential you spend time designing the right packaging. Not only should this contain all the information customers might need, but it should also comply with wider pharmaceutical guidelines.

In the event of your packaging not adhering to regulations, there can be severe consequences. You may incur fines or even a forced shutdown of your production line.

Here are the things to keep in mind to ensure your label is suitable for healthcare and adheres to guidelines.

Accuracy of information

Naturally, a label must contain all of the information customers will need. This includes (but isn’t always limited to):

– The name of the product

– Active and inactive ingredients

– Strength

– Dosage

– Warnings

– Method of administration

– Allergic reactions

It’s not just the amount of information you include that’s important, though, but also the accuracy. The product name and administration route should be printed the same way as they appear in the Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC). 

The product name should encompass the brand name, strength, and pharmaceutical form. It may be required to appear more than once on the label, on different sides of the packaging to aid identification.

Language use

You might think that once you’ve included all of your product information on the label, the job is done. However, you should take care when creating your labels that your language and grammar are not misleading.

Firstly, aim to use an active voice rather than a passive voice as this will be much clearer. Guidelines also suggest sticking to positive statements; for example, “for intravenous use only” is better than “not for intravenous use.”

Take care with attractive language such as “fast-acting,” “24-hour action,” or “sugar-free.” You should consult local guidelines to ensure that you are not misleading customers with your language and that you are accurately reflecting the product’s qualities.

Accessibility

While exact regulations may differ per country, product labels should always be accessible and easy to read. For example, fonts should be legible, and the grammar and format should be clear.

Additionally, there may be specific accessibility concerns to which you should adhere. For example, you may be required to feature braille on the product label or include some critical information in a large-print font.

Materials for the label

As important as the actual information included on the product label is the label itself. The materials should be of high quality and ensure that the label remains secure and legible.

Consider different options for your labels, including multi-page and booklet labels, and choose the one that best holds all your product’s information.

After designing your label, take steps to ensure the product’s security, especially if you produce multiple products. Ensure that labels don’t get mixed up during production, and store your product packaging carefully to prevent label switches.

Work with accredited companies

Our Bury St Edmunds factory was purpose built in 2001 to meet the exacting requirements of the healthcare sector and we work to the strict production standards of the pharmaceutical industry.

As a result we are an accredited pharmaceutical supplier to PS 9000:2011 Pharmaceutical Packaging Materials, with industry leading quality control systems that are fully certified and audited through ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2004.


For more information on our services, or to discuss your requirements with one of our advisors, please call 01284 701381 or email db@dennybros.com.


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