In the pharmaceutical industry, erroneous, outdated or poor-quality labels could have life-threatening consequences. Research shows that 24% of medication errors are related to labeling and packaging.
Despite the importance of pharmaceutical labeling, 78% of pharma and biopharma companies lacked a modern, digital labeling solution and 15% of the recalls the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issue annually are due to labeling issues.
When pharma manufacturers are racing to bring a new product to market, catastrophic printing errors and mislabeled materials can have a significant impact on timelines and budgets. Working with a vendor like FedEx Office® can help mitigate those issues before they even arise and can help to simplify the process from inception through completion.
Prioritizing safety
Medication display panels require several pieces of critical information, including the drug name, dosage form, product strength and it’s recommended that labels are legible, readable and understandable. The FDA also requires that pharmaceutical companies use “sufficiently large container labels or unique packaging to accommodate all critical and required information on the immediate product container label.”
Working with a print provider that can tailor a solution to the unique needs of their pharma clients can help reduce risks, which can enhance patient safety.
“When we engage with a customer, we bring in our sales, solutions and operations teams for a strategic conversation and assessment to learn about their needs. We then determine a process that works for our customer and keeps FedEx Office as compliant,” explains Jeremy Wozniak, national account manager for FedEx Office.
It’s not just patient safety that matters; document security is essential, too. Managed print services offer enhanced document security to minimize the possibility of fraud or stolen information.
“When we create workflows for our customers’ most sensitive data, we confine the work to very few print centers so there’s more control,” Wozniak adds.
Ensuring compliance & maintaining brand equity
Pharmaceutical companies can spend more than $2 billion to bring a new drug to market and maintaining FDA compliance is essential. Failing to meet the requirements set out under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) guidelines could lead to products being considered misbranded or adulterated.
FedEx Office also uses tools that offer enhanced print-on-demand capabilities and services and give end users more ability to customize their documents in a very easy manner.
“It allows for a very customized approach to document management,” says Wozniak.
It’s important to note that printed materials do more than communicate critical medical data; labels also impact how brands are perceived. A label filled with smudges, ink spots and scratches doesn’t instill a sense of trust in the brand.
A reliable print solutions vendor like FedEx Office is committed to quality and can help pharmaceutical companies reduce the need for relabeling and maintain compliance and brand reputation.
Maximizing productivity
Printing errors can be expensive. Prioritizing high-quality label printing can increase operational efficiencies, prevent delays, boost productivity and speed to market. What’s more, fewer errors could also lead to cost savings.
“Ordering and distributing bulk collateral can be a very time-consuming process that we can take off their plates so they can focus on the core parts of their job,” Wozniak says. “We can streamline the process and have a support team ready to help our pharma customers each step of the way.”
When pharmaceutical companies want to distribute information about new products or respond to new regulations and changing label demands, a flexible, reliable and efficient print provider can help them provide rapid responses. FedEx Office has more than 2,000 locations nationwide and has the support of a strong logistics and transportation network, allowing for last-minute labeling changes or other printed materials.
“A lot of times, pharma companies want to get information out very quickly and don’t have time for traditional large print runs or the fulfillment house process,” he adds. “With FedEx Office, we can have it uploaded onto their dedicated print-on-demand site and ready to order.”