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Delivering what patients need next

Award-winning Multipack carton from supplier-partner Rondo-Pak helps provide safer clinical trials for F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG.

MANUAL PACKING. An operator places a glass vial into the clinical trials carton.
MANUAL PACKING. An operator places a glass vial into the clinical trials carton.

“Doing now what patients need next,” is part of the purpose statement on F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG’s website. It continues, “we believe it’s urgent to deliver medical solutions right now—even as we develop innovations for the future.”

Clinical trials embody those innovation goals for Basel, Switzerland-based Roche, which counted 367,283 patients in phase I through IV clinical trials in 2014, a year in which it invested $8.9 billion in R&D for medicines and diagnostic tests.

Packaging continues to serve an important role in the company’s clinical trial efforts. In May 2015, for example, Roche began using what it refers to as its “Multipack,” for glass vials and bottles in clinical trials applications in the U.S. and Switzerland.

Rondo-Pak’s Safepack carton is shock- and vibration-resistant and commercially available. Rondo-Pak is a Medipak Systems Group company. Medipak Systems is the Pharma Systems business area of the Korber Group. The cartonboard is provided by Metsä Board.

“Rondo-Pak is a strategic partner with state-of-the-art technology giving us the opportunity to support our sites, especially in the U.S.,” says Ebuel Sirmats, Packaging Engineer, Global Packaging Development for F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

Rondo-Pak’s Safepack is designed to naturally dissipate vibration, resulting in dramatically reduced breakage potential for glass or other contents. Safepack features a double-walled construction and auto-actuating cushion flaps on its top and bottom that protect against severe impact and provide crush resistance. Efficient and versatile, Safepack utilizes an integrated partition that makes it easy to implement on both manual and automated packaging lines. Made of 100% recyclable paperboard, Safepack also meets demands for increased eco-friendliness and sustainability.

The cartons will be used first in Roche’s facilities in Switzerland and U.S., he says, “for manual packing, especially for vials with valuable and expensive content, but machinability is the next focus.” Sirmats says the new cartons replace former versions that used top-and-bottom inserts.

“The Safepack design provides peace of mind that products will not be damaged in transport, without the extra expense of alternate solutions with similar protective properties,” says Victor Dixon, President & COO of Rondo-Pak. “For our partnership with Roche, it also became a one-size-fits-all solution that allowed for a streamlined packaging process.”

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