Eugene Canavan, medical design director at Design Partners, explains why pharmaceutical packaging should be created with the end user in mind.
Patient
In today’s world of increasingly complex medication kits, multi-tablet regimens and drug delivery devices, it can be difficult to stand out and differentiate your brand. Often, to patients and various healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, pharmacists) one offering appears to be much the same as another.
Pharmaceutical packaging is primarily designed to achieve quality standards, meet regulations and to be delivered utilising a lean manufacturing process. Little consideration is given to the end user and their needs. As a result, many packaging formats tend to be austere and dull. Little in this offering promotes patient engagement or encourages adherence over time. In addition, not realising the role of packaging as a tool to enhance and promote a therapeutic alliance between the patent and healthcare professional is a missed opportunity.