A Review on Emerging Technologies in Pharmaceutical Packaging: From Anti-Counterfeiting to Green Solutions

Abstract

This review article discusses recent innovations and developments in pharmaceutical packaging and its emerging trends in five areas of priority: anti-counterfeiting, drug monitoring, drug quality preservation, sustainability, and patient compliance. The increasing problem of counterfeit medicine has raised the necessity of numerous security technologies to fight the issue. Physical-chemical identifiers, including inks, pigments, and molecular taggants, as well as overt and covert characteristics like holograms, colour-shifting inks, and digital watermarks, assist in verifying the authenticity of pharmaceutical products. New technologies such as carbon dots and microstructural markers in forensic inks add extra security against counterfeiting. Radio Frequency Identification technology assists in product condition tracking, minimizing medical errors, and enhancing patient safety across the supply chain. Colorimetric indicators, like time-temperature indicators and vaccine vial monitors, visually convey environmental conditions and preserve temperature-sensitive drugs' integrity. Drug quality and integrity is another area of importance discussed in the review. Novel packaging technologies, like dual-chamber delivery systems, multilayer constructions, and coatings, offer superior barrier properties and protection against degradation. The review also discusses increasing focus on eco-friendly packaging alternatives, including using renewable, biodegradable, and recycled materials to reduce the ecological footprint of drug packaging. Lastly, the article investigates the role of smart packaging technologies in patient compliance improvement through reminder systems, status indicators, and single-medicine storage units that assist patients in following the prescribed medication regime.

Keywords: Counterfeiting; Packaging technology; Patient compliance; Pharmaceutical packaging; Sustainability.