Iwata Label USA, a specialist in multifunctional labeling solutions for the pharmaceuticals and healthcare sectors, will highlight its next-generation protective label for vials at Pack Expo 2024, November 3-6 in Chicago. At its Booth W-19027, the company will showcase Vial Protect Pack II, a robust, multilayer vial protection/labeling solution for high-value or high-potency drug applications whose container breakage rates must be near-zero.

Vial Protect Pack II essentially provides a “container for a container.” The solution combines a thick, tall plastic cup that cradles the primary vial with a shrink-tack label offering both reliable tamper evidence and light-shielding properties. The plastic cup and the primary container are held in place with the label’s adhesive, eliminating any chance for their unintended separation. This novel construction not only provides exemplary protection against primary container breakage, but also prevents production, logistics and healthcare personnel from coming into contact with any residue from highly potent, potentially dangerous drug formulations.

Vial Protect Pack II is already widely utilized in Japan, with seven high-potency Tier 1 pharma products opting for its next-level protective properties. For ease of implementation purposes in the US and EU markets, the solution can be applied using conventional shrink tack labelers.

Notably, Iwata Label USA’s Vial Protect Pack II system features a label whose pressure-sensitive adhesive complements a heat-shrinkable film, creating a labeling solution substantially stronger than paper. Among other benefits, this combination provides a binding functionality that protects personnel from shattered glass in the unlikely event of primary or secondary container breakage.

“In addition to longstanding safeguards like tamper evidence and light shielding, an increasing set of high-leverage and high-potency drugs require elevated protection against container breakage,” says Eiji Funabashi, president for Iwata Label USA Inc. “As more formulations trend toward costly or caustic APIs, we see the second generation of our Vial Protect Pack system as meeting a need that will only grow more pronounced. Vial Protect Pack II is intended for applications where breakage simply isn’t an option, and we look forward to showcasing it at Pack Expo.”