GB2558666A

GB2558666A - Blister packaging for dispensing pills, apparatus and method of manufacturing the same

Info

Publication number: GB2558666A
Application number: GB1700801.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Farha Carol
Original assignee: Cedar Advanced Technology Group Ltd
Current assignee: Cedar Advanced Technology Group Ltd
Priority date: 2017-01-17
Filing date: 2017-01-17
Publication date: 2018-07-18
Also published as: GB201700801D0

Abstract

A blister packaging for dispensing pills comprising at least one sealed compartment formed from a blister sheet made of semi-transparent thermoplastic polymer material and having a recess 22 formed therein, a cover sheet 26 heat welded to the blister sheet 20 along weld lines 36 running around the recess, the cover sheet including an upper surface with information 34 and formed from a laminated comprising a first layer 30 of printable material and a second layer 32 of a thermoplastic material. The sealed compartment may be hermetically sealed, the thermoplastic polymer be LDPE, the laminate include a liquid crystal polymer barrier, and a perforation line 46 may be provided between said welding lines 36.A method of producing a blister packaging comprising: providing a blister sheet 20 formed from semi-transparent thermoplastic polymer material, positioning the blister sheet on a plate 10 having at least one hole (12,fig.1), applying a vacuum source thereby forming a recess 22 within the blister sheet, depositing pills 24 in the recess, providing a laminate cover sheet 26, printing information onto a first layer 30 of the cover sheet 26, heat welding the cover sheet to the blister sheet along welding lines 36 running around the recess forming a sealed compartment.

Description

(71) Applicant(s):

Cedar Advanced Technology Group Ltd (Incorporated in Switzerland)

A+Z Treuhand und Beratung AG, 3 Chollerstrasse, Zug 6300, Switzerland (72) Inventor(s):

Carol Farha

1700801.2 (51) INT CL:

B65D 75/36 (2006.01) A61J 1/03 (2006.01)

17.01.2017 (56) Documents Cited:

EP 0771737 A1 WO 2003/095332 A1 JP 2009262935 A US 20090134054 A1

WO 2008/039182 A1 CN 102815454 A US 6592978 B1 (58) Field of Search:

INT CL A61J, B65D

Other: EPODOC, WPIAP, TXTE (74) Agent and/or Address for Service:

J A Kemp

South Square, Gray's Inn, LONDON, WC1R 5JJ, United Kingdom (54) Title of the Invention: Blister packaging for dispensing pills, apparatus and method of manufacturing the same

Abstract Title: Blister packaging for dispensing pills (57) A blister packaging for dispensing pills comprising at least one sealed compartment formed from a blister sheet made of semi-transparent thermoplastic polymer material and having a recess 22 formed therein, a cover sheet 26 heat welded to the blister sheet 20 along weld lines 36 running around the recess, the cover sheet including an upper surface with information 34 and formed from a laminated comprising a first layer 30 of printable material and a second layer 32 of a thermoplastic material. The sealed compartment may be hermetically sealed, the thermoplastic polymer be LDPE, the laminate include a liquid crystal polymer barrier, and a perforation line 46 may be provided between said welding lines 36.A method of producing a blister packaging comprising: providing a blister sheet 20 formed from semi-transparent thermoplastic polymer material, positioning the blister sheet on a plate 10 having at least one hole (12,fig. 1), applying a vacuum source thereby forming a recess 22 within the blister sheet, depositing pills 24 in the recess, providing a laminate cover sheet 26, printing information onto a first layer 30 of the cover sheet 26, heat welding the cover sheet to the blister sheet along welding lines 36 running around the recess forming a sealed compartment.

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Application No. GB1700801.2

RTM

Date :21 March 2017

Intellectual

Property

Office

The following terms are registered trade marks and should be read as such wherever they occur in this document:

Ticona

Vectra

Kevlar

Zenite

DuPont

Sumikasuper

Solvay

Xydar

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Intellectual Property Office is an operating name of the Patent Office www.gov.uk/ipo

Blister packaging for dispensing pills, apparatus and method of manufacturing the same

The present invention relates to an improved blister packaging for dispensing pills, a method of manufacturing the same, an apparatus and a kit used to manufacture the same .

In the context of the present invention the term pill means a small object like a pellet, a tablet or a coated sheet for oral use that contains medicine, vitamins, or the like.

Blister packaging has been developed to address the difficulty in treatments involving taking pills to maintain a record as to whether a proper dosage has been administered. Such a packaging typically consists of individualized blisters for each pill located together on a card. This card is printed with instructions, among others with the dosage to follow. The pills themselves are encased between two materials such as aluminum foil and polyvinyl chloride film such that the pills can be pressed through the aluminum foil backing thereby leaving a broken blister indicating that the pill has been utilized.

Some medical treatments require to take multiple different pills during different times of the day. This is often the case for elderly people and people living in retirement homes. In this case, the pills must be dispensed from different packaging before they are delivered to a patient. However, the removal of the pills from their packaging separates the pills from information related to them. Thus, it is possible to make mistakes in the actual delivery to the patient.

One solution to the foregoing problem disclosed in US5791478 (A) has been to develop a package assembly designed to allow individual blisters containing the medications to be removed from a frame so that the medications in each individual blister can be safely carried by a patient or transported to a patient. This package assembly for dispensing pharmaceutical medications comprises a plurality of individually sealed blisters and a relatively stiff frame having a plurality of apertures through which the blisters protrude. The blisters are made up of a plastic sheet having a medication receiving recess and a substantially planar shoulder portion. Sealed to this planar shoulder portion is a lidding sheet. Sealing is achieved by applying a coating before or after the plastic is formed or molded into the plastic sheet. The surface of the lidding sheet may also be coated with means for securing the lidding sheet to the plastic sheet.

The assembly of such blisters packaging in a private pharmacy or a retirement home is a difficult exercise, in particular because of the sealing of the lidding sheet to the plastic sheet. Indeed, this fabrication step requires the application of a coating which must not come into contact with pills contained in the package, possibly spoiling them.

The use of a cohesive coating is proposed as a solution in

US5014851 (A) so that the coating will not adhere to any pills contained in the package. A pharmacist will be provided with a kit including plastic blister sheets having a coating of cohesive material and lidding sheets already coated with a cohesive material to prepare and assemble blisters packaging.

The coating of these sheets is an additional step in their fabrication and imply additional costs.

The object of the present invention is to provide an alternative solution to the known blister packaging for dispensing pills, method of manufacturing, apparatus and kit to manufacture the same with lower manufacturing costs .

This object is achieved by the blister packaging for dispensing pills according to claim 1, the method of manufacturing according to claim 7, the apparatus according to claim 9 and the kit according to claim 10.

Preferred embodiments are the subject matter of the dependent claims .

The blister packaging for dispensing pills comprises at least one sealed compartment for the containment of one or more pills, said compartment being formed from a blister sheet and a cover sheet heat welded to the blister sheet along welding lines running around the recess.

The blister sheet is made of an at least semi-transparent plastic material of a thermoplastic polymer and has a recess formed therein. The blister sheet is at least semitransparent so as to permit the user to view the contents of the blisters and to control if the pills have been taken according to the required dosage. The blister sheet is for example made of polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, recycled polyethylene terephthalate, polymethylmethacrylate, polycarbonate, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polyethylene naphthalate, polyester, polyethylene Imide, maleated polypropylene, grafted polyesters, polyetherimide , polyimide and polyamide, preferably polyvinylchloride, polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate. Typically, a thickness of 20 to 100 micrometers of the blister sheet is preferred. Such a blister sheet provides the required tear resistance to avoid tearing of the blister sheet and elasticity to allow deformation while forming recesses by vacuum suction, as will be further described.

The cover sheet includes a lower surface facing the blister sheet and an upper surface, facing away from the blister sheet, said upper surface having information relating to one or more pills to be contained in the compartment printed thereon.

According to the present invention the cover sheet is formed from a laminate comprising a first layer of a printable material and a second layer of a thermoplastic polymer. Such laminate can be produced by known techniques such as extrusion coating or extrusion lamination. Preferably, the laminate compounds must be chosen so that the cover sheet may be torn and the contents thereof accessed by exerting a force with the fingers across the surface of the blister sheet towards the cover sheet thereby forcing the pills to puncture the laminate of the cover sheet.

The second layer of thermoplastic polymer polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, terephthalate, recycled polyethylene polymethylmethacrylate, polycarbonate, butadiene-styrene (ABS), polyethylene is for example polyethylene terephthalate, acrylonitrilenaphthalate, polyester, polyethylene imide, maleated polypropylene, grafted polyesters, polyetherimide, polyimide and polyamide, ultra-low density polyethylene, low density polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene, medium density polyethylene or high density polyethylene. They can be further modified with appropriate graft monomers. Suitable graft monomers are known in the art and are for example disclosed in WO 99/15289.

Preferably, the thermoplastic polymer is an ultra low density polyethylene (LDPE).

polymers, a class of consisting of terephthalamide) naphthalate,

Optionally, the laminate comprises a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) barrier. Within the context of the present invention the expression liquid-crystal generally abbreviated as LCP's, stands for aromatic polyester polymers. They are extremely unreactive and inert, and highly resistant to fire. Preferably, the liquid crystal polymer is selected from the group polyaramide, e.g. poly (p-phenylene , co- polyester, i.e. polybenzoatepolybenzoate- terephthalate-bisphenolisophthalate, polybenzoate- terephthalate-ethylene glycol, polynaphthalate-amino terephthalate, or poly (p-phenylene benzobisoxazole). Commercial examples of some of the above-mentioned polymers are, for instance, those available under the trademarks Kevlar®, Twaron®, Vectra®, M5®, and Zylon®. Preferred LCP's are sold by different manufacturers under a variety of trade names. These include: Vectra (by Ticona), which is chemically an aromatic polyester produced by the polycondensation of 4hydroxybenzoic acid and 6- hydroxynaphthalene-2-carboxylic acid, Zenite (by Ticona) , Kevlar (by DuPont), Sumikasuper (by Sumimoto Chemical Industry) or by Xydar (by Solvay) .

The presence of a liquid crystal polymer barrier in the second layer allows to obtain a layer protecting the medicament from oxygen and other gases. The presence of such a layer it is no longer necessary to use energy consuming metal foils or metalized films comprising aluminum.

The first layer of printable material is preferably paper.

Such a laminate provides the required tear resistance to protect the pills from an unwanted rupture of the cover sheet though enabling tearing away the cover sheet by exerting a force with the fingers across the surface of the blister sheet towards the cover sheet, thereby forcing the pills to puncture the laminate of the cover sheet.

Permeability characteristics of both blister sheet and cover sheet must be chosen so that the compartment being formed when the blister sheet and is heat welded to the cover sheet along the welding lines provide hermetic preservation to the pills from the outside air during the time before use.

Preferably, the at least one sealed compartment is hermetically sealed to prevent the pills from a possible contact with the environment and to allow a conservation in adequate conditions. In the context of the present invention, the term hermetically sealed means that the passage of air or other gases as well as humidity from the outside into the compartment and from the compartment to the outside is at least approximately excluded.

In a preferred embodiment, the first layer forms the upper surface and the second layer forms the lower surface. In this particularly simple embodiment, the complexity of the film and manufacturing costs can be reduced to a minimum.

Preferably, the blister packaging comprises at least a first and a second sealed compartment and the information printed on the upper surface of the first compartment differs from the information printed on the upper surface of the second compartment. In an exemplary embodiment, information printed relate to the dosage to be administered. A patient can use such information to take the medications at the right time of the day, in the prescribed quantity and frequency, and keep track in a simple way of medication already taken. In an advantageous embodiment, information is also printed in the form of a machine-readable code, e.g. a QR-code, that can be used via a smart terminal to follow the dosage and remind the patient of taking the medications. Consequently, it avoids mistakes in the patient medication.

Optionally, the welding lines include two adjacent welding tracks running parallel to each other. The space between these two tracks can be used to separate compartments from each other in a simple way, e.g. by cutting the blister packaging. The separation from the blister packaging of one or a plurality of compartments needed to cover a given period allows a convenient execution of the medical treatment, e.g. during short trips or outside activities, by avoiding the need to carry the complete blister packaging.

It is further conceivable to have a perforation line provided in between the welding tracks. In this case, no special means are needed to separate compartments from the

- 8 complete blister packaging, which can be torn along the perforation line.

In a preferred embodiment, each sealed compartment is in the shape of a bubble. This shape is particularly simple to form, for example by vacuum suction of the blister sheet, and adequate to fit any form of pills.

The method of producing a blister packaging for dispensing pills according to the present invention, comprises the steps of providing a blister sheet formed from an at least semi-transparent plastic material of a thermoplastic polymer; positioning the blister sheet on a plate having at least one hole formed therein; applying a vacuum source for sucking a portion of the blister sheet into the hole, thereby forming a recesses within the blister sheet; depositing one or more pills in the recess; providing a cover sheet formed from a laminate including a first layer of a printable material and a second layer of a thermoplastic polymer; printing information relating to one or more pills deposited in the recess onto the first layer of the cover sheet; arranging the cover sheet on the blister sheet with the first layer facing away from the blister sheet; and heat welding the cover sheet to the blister sheet along welding lines running around the recess, thereby forming a sealed compartment containing the one or more pills deposited in the recess.

Preferably, the sealed compartment is sealed hermetically.

Preferably, the welding lines include two adjacent welding tracks running parallel to each other and the method further includes the step of perforating the blister packaging along a perforation line running in between the welding tracks.

This method can be implemented for example with an apparatus for preparing a blister packaging according to the present invention comprising a first plate having at least one hole formed therein. Said first plate is designed to receive a blister sheet made of an at least semi-transparent plastic material of a thermoplastic polymer and to be connected to a vacuum source.

The apparatus further comprises a second plate with heatable welding wires protruding from a lower side of the second plate, wherein the welding wires are arranged in such a way that the heated welding wires heat weld along welding lines the blister sheet to a cover sheet arranged on the blister sheet, when the lower side of the second plate is pressed against the first plate. Preferably, the first and the second plates are connected together with a hinge along which the second plate can be pivoted to be pressed against the first plate.

In practice, a pharmacist will be provided with a kit to prepare and assemble the blister packaging on an individual basis pursuant to an individual's prescription. The kit for manufacturing a blister packaging for dispensing pills according to the present invention comprises a blister sheet formed from an at least semitransparent plastic material of a thermoplastic polymer, in which a recess is to be formed.

It further comprises a cover sheet intended to be heat welded to the blister sheet along welding lines running around the recess, the cover sheet including a lower surface facing the blister sheet and an upper surface, facing away from the blister sheet, said upper surface being intended to have information relating to one or more pills to be contained in the compartment printed thereon.

Finally, it comprises an apparatus to implement the method according to the present invention, a possible embodiment thereof being described above.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference should be made to the embodiment illustrated in greater detail in the accompanying figures and described below by way of an example of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the plate used to form the recesses in the blister sheet;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the plate and a blister sheet;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the plate and the blister sheet positioned thereof;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the plate and the blister sheet with recesses formed therein;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the plate and the blister sheet with pills deposited in the recesses therein, as well as of the cover sheet;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the plate and the blister sheet with the cover sheet printed with information; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the plate and the finished blister packaging.

The method of producing a blister packaging for dispensing pills according to the present invention, is described in Fig. 1 to 7.

Turning first to Fig.l, there is shown a plate 10 having holes 12 formed therein. The form of the holes and the corresponding holes pattern in the plate are set according to the size of the pills and their dosage, in such a way that the blister packaging produced can be manipulated easily during the fabrication. Typically, such a plate has a width ranging from 5 cm to 20 cm and a length ranging from 10 cm to 30 cm. In the present embodiment, the holes are arranged in two rows of four holes each. The holes can be through holes and connected individually to a vacuum source (not represented). In the present embodiment, the holes are formed as recesses connected to each other by passageways 14 extending in the plate, said passageways ending in an opening 16 in the plate which can be connected to the vacuum source. The vacuum source is needed to suck a portion of a blister sheet which is positioned on the plate into each hole, as will be explained in relation with the next figures.

Turning now to Fig. 2, there is shown the plate 10 and a blister sheet 20 formed from an at least semi-transparent plastic material of a thermoplastic polymer provided for the manufacturing of a blister packaging.

As seen in Fig. 3, the blister sheet is positioned on the plate having. Fig. 4 shows recesses 22 formed in the blister sheet 20 after application of vacuum generated by the vacuum source. A portion of the blister sheet has been sucked into the holes of the plate, thereby forming recesses within the blister sheet.

Referring now to Fig. 5, one or more pills 24 are deposited in the recesses 22. A cover sheet 26 is provided for the manufacturing of the blister packaging. The cover sheet 26 formed from a laminate including a first layer 30 of a printable material and a second layer 32 of a thermoplastic polymer. The first layer 30 of the cover sheet 26 is printed with information 34 relating to the one or more pills 24 deposited in the recesses 22.

As seen in Fig. 6, the cover sheet 26 is then arranged on the blister sheet 20 with the first layer 30 facing away from the blister sheet 20.

Referring to Fig. 7, the cover sheet 26 is heat welded to the blister sheet 20 along welding lines 36 running around the recesses 22, thereby forming sealed compartments 40 containing the one or more pills 24 deposited in the recesses 22.

The sealed compartments 40 can be sealed hermetically by ensuring a continuous heat welding along the welding lines

36.

In the present blister packaging embodiment, the welding lines 36 include two adjacent welding tracks 42 running parallel to each other, so that perforating the blister packaging 50 along perforation lines 46 running in between the welding tracks 42. These perforation lines 46 can be used to separate compartments 40 from the complete blister packaging 50, which can be torn along the perforation lines 46.

List of references:

Plate holes passageways

16 opening blister sheet recesses pills cover sheet

30 first layer second layer information welding lines compartment

42 welding tracks blister packaging perforation lines

Claims

Claims

1. Blister packaging for dispensing pills comprising at least one sealed compartment for the containment of one or more pills, said compartment being formed from a blister sheet made of an at least semitransparent plastic material of a thermoplastic polymer and having a recess formed therein, and - a cover sheet heat welded to the blister sheet along welding lines running around the recess, the cover sheet including a lower surface facing the blister sheet and an upper surface, facing away from the blister sheet, said upper surface having information relating to one or more pills to be contained in the compartment printed thereon, wherein the cover sheet is formed from a laminate comprising a first layer of a printable material and a second layer of a thermoplastic polymer.
2. Blister packaging according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sealed compartment is hermetically sealed.

3. Blister packaging the thermoplastic polyethylene (LDPE according polymer ) - to is claim 1 or 2, wherein density an ultra low 4. Blister packaging according to any one of claims 1 to
3, wherein the laminate comprises a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) barrier.

5. Blister packaging according to any one of claims 1 to
4, wherein the first layer forms the upper surface and the second layer forms the lower surface.

6. Blister packaging according to any one of claims 1 to
5, wherein the blister packaging comprises at least a first and a second sealed compartment and the information printed on the upper surface of the first compartment differs from the information printed on the upper surface of the second compartment.

7. Blister packaging according to any one of claims 1 to
6, wherein the welding lines include two adjacent welding tracks running parallel to each other.
8. Blister packaging according to claim 7, wherein a perforation line is provided in between the welding tracks .
9. Blister packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein each sealed compartment is in the shape of a bubble.
10. Method of producing a blister packaging for dispensing pills, said method comprising the steps of

- providing a blister sheet formed from an at least semi-transparent plastic material of a thermoplastic polymer;

- positioning the blister sheet on a plate having at least one hole formed therein;

- applying a vacuum source for sucking a portion of the blister sheet into the hole, thereby forming a recesses within the blister sheet;

- depositing one or more pills in the recess;

providing a cover sheet formed from a laminate including a first layer of a printable material and a second layer of a thermoplastic polymer;

- printing information relating to one or more pills deposited in the recess onto the first layer of the cover sheet;

- arranging the cover sheet on the blister sheet with the first layer facing away from the blister sheet; and

- heat welding the cover sheet to the blister sheet along welding lines running around the recess, thereby forming a sealed compartment containing the one or more pills deposited in the recess.

Method according to claim 10, wherein the sealed compartment is sealed hermetically.

Method according to any one of claims 10 to 11, wherein the welding lines include two adjacent welding tracks running parallel to each other and the method further includes the step of perforating the blister packaging along a perforation line running in between the welding tracks.

Intellectual

Property

Office

Application No: GB1700801.2 Examiner: Evelyn Toalster