Medical isotope packaging combines safety and ease of use
Medical device packaging designer and thermoformer Barger (Elkart, IN) has received a prestigious AmeriStar award in the medical device category from the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IOPP; Oakbrook Terrace, IL). Its fifth AmeriStar award in four years, the company was recognized for the design of intuitive PETG thermoformed packaging that protects the NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes Radiogenix Isotope Separation System during its full life cycle.
Medical packaging designer, thermoformer Barger wins AmeriStar award
“The unique packaging design resulted from NorthStar’s desire to consolidate a number of key components into one module and Barger’s ability to make concepts a reality,” said Ray Heasty, Mechanical Engineer for NorthStar in a prepared statement. “The resulting reagent pack is easy to store, install and dispose of after use while performing in contents’ inspections, providing a real benefit for customers using NorthStar’s RadioGenix System.”
The packaging assembly is designed to hold and protect product contents during shipping and handling as well as during use. As an integral component of NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes’ technetium-99m generation process, the package and product work together to create critical and commonly used isotopes for use in medical diagnostic and imaging procedures. After use, the package holding depleted product consisting of three liquid reagent bags, one being caustic, tubing and couplers are discarded together, ensuring handler safety while providing functionality, ease of use and disposal.
Describing Barger’s approach, Mike Motl, Senior Product Designer, said, “The customer is fully supported through the design cycle from concept, prototyping, tooling and specification to product development. Team members are involved early in the design cycle to fuse the customers’ expectations with manufacturing capabilities and end-user requirements. This planning assists in incorporating unique features such as the [360 degree perforated panel] used in the NorthStar package. With our design approach, innovation can really enter the design cycle at any point in the collaborative process.”
A division of Placon, Barger is certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 13485. Located strategically near Warsaw, IN, known as the orthopedics capital of the world, Barger has more than 40 years of custom pharmaceutical and medical packaging experience. The company offers design, cleanroom prototyping, tooling and thermoforming services and produces turnkey, non-sterile and sterile barrier packaging systems out of its Madison, WI, and Elkhart facilities.
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