Chugai Pharmaceutical Achieves Dual Breakthroughs in Sustainable Packaging Technology with Biomass PE and rPET

Sustainable upgrades in pharmaceutical packaging continue to advance, even achieving breakthroughs in challenging formats like blister packs. Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. of Japan's anti-cancer drug packaging exemplifies this trend, winning the WorldStar Award 2026 in the Medical category.

This Japanese company states that this sustainable and user-friendly packaging provides precise unit doses tailored to the needs of both healthcare professionals and patients, while also demonstrating the company's commitment to environmental responsibility.

This packaging solution comprehensively improves the ease of use of anticancer drugs for patients of all ages and cancer types, while ensuring drug stability. Compared to traditional bottle packaging, this design adopts a unit-dose blister pack, which optimizes clinical treatment procedures and improves the patient's medication experience.

The awarded packaging corresponds to the drug Rozlytrek, available in two dosage forms: Capsule No. 2 containing 100 mg of the active ingredient and Capsule No. 0 containing 200 mg of the active ingredient.

Key breakthrough achieved in blister packaging technology

Chugai Pharmaceutical announced that the core technological breakthrough lies in the development of a multi-layer thin-film blister forming process suitable for large size #0 capsules. This blister film has a three-layer composite structure, consisting of polypropylene (PP), a polyethylene layer blended with bio-based polyethylene (PE), and polypropylene (PP) in that order.

Certified by the Japan BioPlastics Association, the bio-based plastic content in this blister sheet exceeds 50%. The aforementioned forming process achieves uniform film thickness, even within the extremely challenging Type 0 capsule blister cavities, effectively ensuring drug protection and storage stability.

Polyethylene Layer Molding Challenges Overcome

The molding process of multi-layer blister film once faced numerous technical challenges due to factors such as the soft texture of the polyethylene layer and the differences in physical properties among the various layers.

A spokesperson for Chugai Pharmaceutical stated: "We have successfully achieved uniform film thickness distribution by optimizing production process parameters, which is crucial for large-cavity blister packaging to ensure drug protection."

Easy-tear outer bag made from recycled PET material

The outer packaging bag of blister sheets features an aluminum-plastic composite multi-layer structure, providing high barrier properties. The outermost PET film uses certified recycled materials, with recycled PET accounting for 80%.

To enhance patient convenience, the outer packaging bag features a laser-scored easy-tear design with a specially optimized geometric shape for the tear opening, ensuring easy opening even for elderly patients and those with limited mobility.