What do Sam’s Club, Sunkist, and Nestlé have in common?

The answer to the questions above: All of these companies, products, and subjects are part of a list of the 10-most read online articles on HealthcarePackaging.com during the first half of 2012.

It comes as no surprise that package design strategies, cold chain tips, and FDA insights on track and trace and serialization are top of mind for Healthcare Packaging readers.

Yet, one of the more interesting observations here is that the most frequently visited article goes back a few years. Its subject area points to ongoing developments in biopharmaceutical manufacturing and packaging. We’ll get to that, but first, from 10 to 1, here are the stories that Healthcare Packaging readers clicked on most frequently during January through June of this year, along with links to those articles:

10. ‘Inclusive design’ approach to packaging benefits Nestlé and its customers
This article describes how Nestlé is adapting the packaging of some of its products to ensure consumers of all ages can use them without difficulty. One approach, called “inclusive design,” comes from the company’s work with the University of Cambridge in the U.K.

9. Beyond the cold chain: Tips for protecting healthcare products
With the exponential growth of temperature-sensitive biologics and high-value vaccines, ensuring protection of cold chain products is vital. In this article, UPS provides some helpful hints at how to protect these products.

8. Contract manufacturer provides prefilled syringe perspective
Hyaluron Contract Manufacturing president Shawn Kinney discusses developments in contract packaging, and delivers a perspective on the company’s approaches to prefilled syringe filling.

7. Becton Dickinson takes proactive stance on device identification
Contributing author Stephen Barlas describes how BD is ahead of much of the industry in assigning, printing, and using global trade identification numbers (GTINs) on its U.S.-manufactured products.

6. Pharmaceutical packaging makes news
As details emerged on a voluntary Novartis recall, a ’60 Minutes’ segment, and a ban on inhalers all aimed the media spotlight on pharmaceutical and biologics packaging.

5. Novo Nordisk warns customers about stolen insulin
When Novo Nordisk’s Levemir insulin product turned up at a Houston medical center after being reported as stolen in North Carolina, it drew considerable attention.

4. Sunkist pouch tops Healthcare Packaging’s Top 10 in 2011
An innovative hot-fill stand-up pouch for protein drinks with a patented dispensing feature launched by Protica under the Sunkist brand continues to draw online interest.

3. FDA’s track-and-trace workshop talks Turkey about item-level pharmaceutical packaging
How drug package serialization requirements in Turkey may or may not jibe with the standards the FDA was developing for the U.S. market is the subject of a Feb. 2011 FDA workshop in Silver Spring, MD.

2. Sam’s Club introduces new Simply Right vitamin line
How Sam’s Club used member feedback to introduce a reformulated vitamin and supplement line that features refined packaging design as well as smaller-sized pills that make them easier to swallow.

1. Beyond cleanrooms: Debating RABS and isolators
Contributing editor Kassandra Kania’s article lends perspective to the question, “Are restricted access barrier systems (RABS), or isolators, replacing traditional cleanrooms?” As medical science continues to develop new treatment therapies, more combination products and large-molecule biologics will become more common. However, these products may be sensitive to movement, light, heat, temperature, humidity, and other factors. Manufacturing and packaging will be challenged. Stay tuned for more content on single-use manufacturing, RABs, isolators, clean rooms, etc. And thanks for reading!

[Shown with this article is the cover of the August issue of Healthcare Packaging)