World Blind Awareness Month: Origin breaks down pharma packaging solutions for visually impaired consumers

19 Oct 2023 --- Origin is calling attention to the need for more inclusive pharmaceutical packaging for visually impaired people during the ongoing World Blind Awareness Month. The pharmaceutical packaging manufacturer asserts that “inclusive pharmaceutical packaging is paramount.”

According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, approximately 70% of the UK’s population has received prescriptions for one or more medications. The WHO reports that anyone who lives long enough will experience at least one eye disease or disorder in their lifetime. 

Steve Brownett-Gale, marketing lead at Origin, says that the industry supports the visually impaired but still needs to explore more innovations in pharmaceutical packaging.

“Pharmaceuticals must cater to everyone, no matter their abilities or disabilities. Accessible and inclusive pharmaceutical packaging means that all patients might be afforded the dignity of managing their healthcare and medications either fully or to some degree,” Brownett-Gale tells Packaging Insights.

Catering to the blind
The company notes that in the UK, over two million people live with sight loss, and 340,000 are registered as blind or partially sighted. As the UK’s population is aging, the number of people over 85 is expected to double to 2.6 million over the next 25 years. It is well documented that aging adversely affects eyesight.

The National Library of Medicine has also reported that the visually impaired or blind are more at risk of medication errors, meaning accessible packaging is significant to this consumer base.

Steve Brownett-Gale, marketing lead at Origin.“Accessibility in packaging means embracing a design approach that caters to every patient’s varied needs and capabilities. Its main goal is to create pharmaceutical packaging that is universally intuitive, easy to handle and user-friendly, irrespective of the type of disability,” says Brownett-Gale.

Physical design priorities
Origin emphasizes the importance of the physical design of pharmaceutical packaging. It says pharmaceutical packagers must incorporate simplicity and ease of use while never compromising child safety. The company suggests blister packs with individual pill compartments to manage dosage for the visually impaired, as it is “much simpler than a bottle of pills.”

Accessibility features that ensure equal access to vital medical information have become more mainstream in medicinal packaging design. In the UK, all medicine packing must display the name of the medicine in braille on either the front or back of the packaging.

Approximately 7% of all blind or visually impaired people can read braille in the UK, and braille requires more space than standard text. This means it requires more space on the packaging.

Even with braille as a possible solution, Brownett-Gale says the language does have its limitations, “necessitating the availability of other solutions.”

Large prints and distinctive color contrast on pharmaceutical packaging make medication names easier to read for elderly patients and the visually impaired. When a large print isn’t possible, like on patient information leaflets (PILs), alternative PILs are available, including braille or audio versions.

For liquid medicines, bottle packaging is designed with ridges and easy-grip lids to increase accessibility in their design further. Single-liquid medicine bottles also allow the user to administer the correct dose straight from the bottle, requiring only one hand.

“Innovation in pharmaceuticals is making new ground for the industry and further integrating accessibility into design,” says Brownett-Gale.

Digital solutionsTo highlight World Blind Awareness Month, Origin details pharma packaging solutions.
Origin explains that R&D is creating intelligent packaging solutions to improve the inclusivity of medicine and remedy existing limitations to current practices.

“R&D must be conducted through the lens of the consumers who use these products if the industry is to truly tailor packaging to their needs and fill the gaps where needs are not currently being met,” explains Brownett-Gale.

“These innovations prioritize patient safety, ensuring medicine integrity, correct dosage administration and preventing patients from falling foul of fake pharmaceuticals. All of which affect the visually impaired and blind disproportionately.”

Technology versus costs
Sensor technology can alert visually impaired patients to the freshness of their medicines, thereby removing their reliance on being able to read medicine use-by dates.

Additionally, Smart QR codes incorporated into pharmaceutical packaging allow users to access auditory versions of medicine information that can be accessed with a smartphone.

“High-tech innovations are brilliant, however, the question of whether their potential to increase the cost of medicines means they may, ironically, become inaccessible to those in financial difficulty. Concerning QR code technology, this is limited to individuals with access to smart technology, potentially excluding those in poorer socio-economic circumstances,” says Brownett-Gale.

Developments in Near Field Communication technology in pharmaceutical packaging can give visually impaired consumers the ability to protect themselves from fake pharmaceuticals. Patients can use smartphones to scan medicines and check their legitimacy and validity.

The intelligent pharmaceutical packaging industry has a CAGR of 9% between 2020 and 2025, according to Origin.

“The wider packaging industry is investing in packaging innovations, prioritizing accessibility in design, even within consumer products. For example, Coca-Cola became the UK’s first beverage brand in 2022 to launch on-pack technology for visually impaired customers by rolling out NaviLens QR codes where they could audibly access product details,” concludes Brownett-Gale.

By Sabine Waldeck