System and method for packaging medical stoppers consisting of caps and plugs

Abstract

To provide a tray and a packaging system that are different from prior art and improved.SOLUTION: A medical use stopper packaging system formed by caps covering plugs includes: a container; at least one tray with cavities provided thereon, each of the cavities receiving a medical use stopper where a cap is positioned to define a sealing compartment along with the top face of the tray for individually separating a plug and having the tray provided inside the container; and a porous lid encapsulated inside the container. The packaging method includes the steps of: providing a container; placing the tray inside the container; placing at least one stopper inside the cavity; encapsulate the porous lid inside the container; placing the container in at least one sealing bag and vacuum the bag.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a packaging system for packaging and dispensing medical stoppers. The present invention also relates to a method for packaging medical stoppers. The present invention more particularly relates to the packaging of stoppers consisting of caps and plugs intended to close medical vials with a view to their dispensing. [Background technology]

[0002] Stoppers of this type are typically delivered in bulk and transferred to a vibrating bowl feeder or simply placed on a tray and then placed one by one onto the vials, either manually or automatically by machine, to seal the vials.

[0003] These delivery solutions are not suitable when the cap is intended to seal a medical vial. In this case, the stopper and vial must be free of contamination, especially particle contamination. However, especially if precautions are not taken, contact and friction between the stoppers and each other or between the stoppers and the surface of a tray or vibrating bowl feeder can easily generate particles, which may then be found in the vial. This can have very serious consequences if the vial is used to contain a medical solution intended to be withdrawn by syringe, as the particles may then be found in the syringe and injected into the patient's body.

[0004] It is therefore important to have a solution for packaging and shipping vial stoppers, and more generally medical products, that makes it possible to reduce particle generation.

[0005] Patent Document 1 (EP 2753550) and Patent Document 2 (US Pat. No. 10,064,787) disclose a tray and packaging system that allows different types of medical products (syringes, vials) to be stored separately. These medical products cannot come into contact with each other, thereby reducing particle generation. Patent Document 1 (EP 2753550) more specifically attempts to reduce the contact surface area between the medical products and the surface of the tray in order to reduce the friction zone. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] European Patent Application Publication No. 2753550 [Patent Document 2] U.S. Patent No. 10,064,787 [Patent Document 3] French Patent Application Publication No. 2950865 Summary of the Invention

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a tray and packaging system that differs from and improves upon the prior art discussed above.

[0008] To this end, the object of the present invention is to provide a packaging system for a medical stopper formed with a cap covering a plug, the packaging system comprising: a container having an opening, a bottom and a peripheral wall; - at least one tray, each having a plurality of receiving spaces for receiving medical stoppers, the caps being arranged to define, together with an upper surface of the tray, sealed compartments for individually separating the plugs, the tray being placed within the container; - a porous lid sealed to the upper end of the peripheral wall of the container to close the container; Equipped with.

[0009] Other advantageous, non-limiting features of the present invention, taken alone or in any technically feasible combination, include: The container is placed in at least one sealed bag under vacuum.

[0010] According to another aspect, the object of the present invention is a method for packaging a stopper formed with a cap covering a plug, comprising the following steps: - providing a container having an opening, a bottom, and a peripheral wall; - placing a tray having a plurality of receiving spaces at the bottom of the container; - placing at least one stopper in the receiving space such that the cap together with the upper surface of the tray defines a sealed compartment in which the plug is separated; - sealing a porous lid to the upper end of the peripheral wall of the container; - placing the container in at least one sealed bag and applying a vacuum to the bag; The present invention provides a method for packaging a stopper, comprising:

[0011] Other advantageous, non-limiting features of the present invention, taken alone or in any technically feasible combination, include: The lid is integrated with the container by being welded to the upper end of the peripheral wall of the container.

[0012] - The packaging method comprises the following steps: providing additional trays to form a stack of trays within the container, the additional trays being placed on stopper caps disposed within the receiving spaces of the underlying trays; placing at least one stopper in the receiving space of the additional tray so that the cap, together with the upper surface of the tray, defines a sealed compartment in which the plug is separated; Includes. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1] 1 shows a packaging system according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Medical stopper description The medical stopper 50 is formed in this case by a cap 51 which covers a plug 52. More specifically, the plug 52 is formed in a cavity bounded by the cap 51. The cap 51 makes it possible to manipulate the stopper 50 without touching the plug 52 in order to close the opening of the container with the plug 52. This reduces the risk of contaminating the plug 52 when handling the stopper 50, and therefore the container. A detailed description of such a stopper is given, for example, in patent application FR 2 950 865.

[0015] The cap 51 comprises a head 51a, which is advantageously planar, and a sidewall 51b extending axially from the periphery of the head 51a to define a cavity in which the plug 52 is located.

[0016] General description of packaging systems 1, a packaging system 100 according to the present invention comprises a container 10, at least one tray 20 with a receiving space 21, and a porous lid 40 placed over the opening of the container 10 to close the opening. Advantageously, in order to accommodate a larger number of medical stoppers 50, the container 10 can comprise a plurality of trays 20, all identical to one another. These trays 20 thus form a stack, each stacked on top of the other with the bottom 10a of the container 10 parallel to one another, and the container 10 containing the tray 20 and closed by the porous lid 40 is intended to be placed in at least one airtight bag (typically two of these bags) from which the air has been evacuated in order to place the entire assembly under vacuum.

[0017] Each tray 20 accommodates a plurality of medical stoppers 50, each individually accommodated in one of the accommodation spaces 21 of the tray 20, so that they cannot come into contact with each other. The shape and volume of the accommodation space 21 are naturally adapted so that the accommodation space 21 can accommodate the medical stoppers 50.

[0018] Container Description The container 10 is a hollow packaging element intended to receive trays 20 containing medical stoppers 50. The container 10 has an opening, a bottom 10a, and a peripheral wall 10b that define its general shape. The peripheral wall 10b may be provided with a shoulder, which allows the container 10 to be handled, particularly by automated equipment. Advantageously, the container 10 has a parallelepiped shape to optimize the space required to accommodate a given number of medical stoppers 50. The dimensions of the container 10 are selected according to the number of medical stoppers 50 to be packaged. These dimensions may conform to general standards or specifications to facilitate industrial-scale use. The height of the container is selected and / or adapted according to the number of trays 20 and / or the shape of the stoppers 50 to be accommodated. In fact, the heads 51a of the caps 51 of the stoppers 50 placed on the upper tray must be flush with the upper edge of the container wall so that the subsequent vacuum application can press the lids 40 against the heads of the caps. The container 10 may be formed from a plastic material, for example, polypropylene, amorphous polyethylene terephthalate, or a styrenic polymer such as polystyrene.

[0019] Shipping tray description FIG. 1 shows a packaging system 100 according to the present invention, in which a stack of trays 20 are placed within a container 10, each tray 20 including an upper surface 20a and a lower surface 20b.

[0020] The upper surface 20a is provided with a plurality of receiving spaces 21 for receiving and fixing one medical stopper 50 to prevent contact between two medical stoppers 50. The receiving spaces 21 are typically arranged in a row on the upper surface 20a of the tray 20 and in this case take the form of recesses 21. The lower surface 20b of the tray 20 is advantageously flat to facilitate pressing a tray located below the stack of trays against the stoppers 50, more specifically against the heads 51a of the caps 51. Alternatively, the lower surface 20b of the tray 20, like the upper surface 20a, can be provided with a plurality of receiving spaces to better restrict movement of the medical stoppers 50.

[0021] Optionally, the lower surface 20b of the tray intended to be placed against the bottom of the container 10, referred to as the "lower tray 20'," may include ridges to enable it to be secured and / or centered within the container 10. Indeed, the bottom 10a of the container 10 may include centering elements, such as embossments, that can engage with ridges on the lower tray 20'. This prevents the lower tray 20' (and the entire stack of trays) from moving within the container 10, limiting friction between the tray 20' and the container 10 and preventing particle generation.

[0022] The tray 20 may be made from a plastic material, such as polypropylene or a thermoplastic elastomer. Advantageously, the material of the tray 20 has a lower hardness than the material of the stopper 50.

[0023] Lid description The porous lid 40 is intended to be sealed, for example by plastic welding, to the upper end of the peripheral wall 10b of the container 10 once the container 10 is filled with the tray 20 carrying the medical stoppers 50. The porous lid is intended to keep the medical stoppers 50 clean and prevent particles from entering the container 10. The voids in the porous lid 50 allow air to be extracted from the container during a subsequent vacuum step. For example, it may be made of Tyvek®, a material commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry.

[0024] Packaging process description To minimize particulate contamination and maintain the sterility of medical stopper 50 to the greatest extent possible, the various steps described below are preferably performed in a controlled environment.

[0025] The first tray 20′, which is the lower tray 20′ of the stack, is placed on the bottom 10a of the container 10. Medical stoppers 50 are subsequently placed or have been placed in advance within the receiving space 21 of the first tray 20′. The medical stoppers 50 are positioned such that the caps 51 define a sealed compartment 53 with the upper surface 20a of the tray to individually separate the plugs 52 and protect them from particle contamination that may occur within the packaging system 100. The medical stoppers 50 are positioned such that the free ends of the side walls 51b contact the bottom of the receiving space 21.

[0026] Next, the second tray 20 is placed in the container 10, and the underside 20b of the second tray is placed on the head 51a of the cap 51 of the medical stopper 50 placed in the storage space 21 of the first tray. Before and after this operation, a medical stopper 50 is placed in each storage space 21 of the second tray 20. This is repeated the number of times equal to the number of trays 20 to be placed in the container 10.

[0027] The porous lid 40 is then placed on the container 10 to seal it, and thereafter the porous lid 40 is integrated with the upper end of the peripheral wall 10b of the container 10.

[0028] In the next step, the container 10, whose opening is closed by the porous lid 40, is placed in at least one airtight bag (preferably two bags for safety reasons), which is then vacuumed and sealed. By vacuuming the entire assembly, the porous lid 40 is pressed against the stopper 50 of the upper plate, thereby vertically blocking the various components of the assembly 100. The vacuum also presses the stopper 50 against the upper surface 20a of the tray on which it is placed to form sealed compartments 53 in which each plug 52 is individually positioned. The vacuum also deforms the peripheral wall 10b of the container 10 against the edge of the tray 20, thereby horizontally blocking the various components of the assembly 100. Thus, by vacuuming, friction between the various components of the assembly 100 can be reduced, preventing vertical and horizontal movement of the components and reducing particle generation due to friction.

[0029] Unpacking the packaging system To open the packaging system and access the medical stoppers 50 packaged therein, the container 10 containing the stack of trays 20 is first removed from the bag. The lid 40 is then removed to expose the medical stoppers 50, which can then be removed manually and / or automatically by machine, either individually or row by row. When the medical stoppers 50 in the top tray of the stack are emptied, that tray is also removed to expose the medical stoppers in the trays below. These operations are repeated until all of the medical stoppers 50 stored in the container 10 have been removed.

[0030] Of course, the invention is not limited to the described embodiments and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

[0031] Although a stack of trays is shown in the container herein, it is of course possible to place only one tray in the container.

Claims

1. A packaging system (100) for a medical stopper (50), comprising the medical stopper (50) formed by a cap (51) covering a plug (52), a container (10) having an opening, a bottom (10a) and a peripheral wall (10b); - at least one tray (20) each having a plurality of cavities (21) for receiving medical stoppers (50) arranged so that the caps (51) define, together with the upper surface (20a) of the tray (20), sealed compartments (53) for individually separating the plugs (52), the tray (20) being placed in the container (10); a porous lid sealed to the upper end of the peripheral wall (10b) of the container (10) so as to close said container; A packaging system (100) comprising:

2. 10. The packaging system (100) of claim 1, wherein the container (10) is placed in at least one sealed bag under vacuum.

Images