Honeywell has unveiled Aclar Accel, a new thermoformable barrier film for pharmaceutical packaging that the company says provides faster service to companies at a lower cost while maintaining patient safety through increased protection for medicines.
Aclar Accel, which expands Honeywell’s line of Aclar films with two new gauges, was introduced at this year’s Pharmapack Expo in Paris.
“Honeywell Aclar Film delivers 25% greater clarity for superior visual appeal and an extended shelf life of packages, meaning products last longer. It also provides 20% more moisture barrier protection at elevated temperatures, enhancing safety,” Kori Anderson, Honeywell’s general manager for healthcare packaging tells Packaging Europe.
With two new clear and opaque laminated options for its high-moisture barrier films, Honeywell’s Aclar gives companies cost-effective alternatives for product packaging with shorter lead times to increase shelf life, decrease operating costs and protect drugs in climates throughout the world. While the original Aclar is clear and customizable, Aclar Accel 1700 maintains the clarity, but has a standard size that allows for faster production and delivery to companies at a lower cost. Aclar Accel 5400 is designed for opaque laminates and offers a denser, moisture-rich barrier to companies seeking a more cost-effective solution to protect drugs than cold form foil in aluminum blister packaging, which has higher production costs and slower output.
“Pharmaceutical companies are seeking new packaging technologies that allow them to get their drugs to market faster and reduce operational costs and Aclar Accel addresses those needs,” said Ken West, vice president and general manager, Packaging & Composites, at Honeywell. “Aclar Accel gives them new choices. Now, in addition to the customized options of the original Aclar, they can select standard sizes for packaging with these new films and receive them in half the time.”
In comparison to packages made of cold form foil, Aclar enables smaller blister pack sizes that reduce shelf space, usage of raw materials and lower transportation costs. Available in many thickness grades and a wide range of moisture barriers, Aclar provides flexibility to optimize moisture protection across different climate conditions.
“The pharma industry is changing and evolving and getting more complex and more personalised. We don’t see so many of the big blockbuster drug campaigns. It is important for pharmaceutical organisations to be more agile, and we are helping to support that with thinner dimension and faster lead times,” Ms Anderson adds.
Honeywell’s Aclar films are based on polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE) fluoropolymer technology. They are crystal clear, biochemically inert, chemical-resistant, nonflammable, and plasticizer- and stabilizer-free. The films can facilitate increased patient compliance with doctor prescriptions with see-through, portable and patient-friendly pack presentations. Today, Aclar thermoformable films are used in a broad range of markets including originator and generic pharmaceutical, over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceutical and animal health packaging.
