Why pharmaceutical packaging needs pharmaceutical labels

There are thousands of labeling materials on the market—a combination of different front materials, adhesives, and label carriers (liners)—all for a good reason. Every product, application, and life cycle is unique, which is why Avery Dennison focuses on developing labeling solutions specifically for targeted segments. One of those distinctive sectors is the pharmaceutical industry, for which not all labeling solutions or suppliers are suitable. Labels designed for pharmaceutical applications differ significantly from those developed for logistical applications in the following critical aspects:

1. Specific performance requirements - Size is one of the most distinctive characteristics of pharmaceutical packaging, as medicines are generally stored in smaller containers than food or beverages. The labels for containers such as vials, prefilled syringes, or ampoules must adhere reliably to curved surfaces and containers ranging in diameters from 25 to 7 millimeters, as well as perform on high-speed production lines. Moreover, labels need to be resistant to heat, moisture, and freezing temperatures during sterilization and storage. These extreme conditions are not suitable for all label materials and must also be safe for patients.

2. Patient safety - Labels are often susceptible to migration risk due to inks and adhesives, which is a critical aspect of label safety. While migration will occur with any permeable packaging, the label adhesive used must be a product assessed for migration risks, and essential components have to be identified. Certain adhesives are more prone to migration and may or may not contain elements on the SVHC list. At Avery Dennison, we offer adhesives with low migration properties and no SVHC components as part of our pharmaceutical labeling solutions for preamble packaging. In fact, extraction and migration studies on our constructions are conducted by external industries to assess the product's risk before moving to full-scale packaging testing.