The pharmaceutical industry in the United States is booming, as is the business of custom healthcare labels. From prescription powders and pills to dietary supplements, healthcare products and devices have seen a steady increase in market growth over the past two decades, and today this sector is one of the most profitable in our country. Are you a company trying to enter this industry and bring revolutionary products to market in line with FDA regulations? Then to distinguish yourself from the competition, you’ll need to enlist the services of a company that specializes in custom labels, creating a design for you that is both informative and practical.
Medication labels must meet strict requirements and should be one of the most resistant parts of the overall packaging of the medication. For this reason, the choice of material or adhesive from which they are constructed is vital, and the expertise of a professional company is paramount to ensure that the product label you are selling complies with the requirements of the American government. But what are these requirements, and what are some of the conditions that a healthcare label should endure? In the next few minutes, we will look at the answers to these questions and compare the pros and cons of custom and blank labels.
Be in Tune with the Latest Regulations
In the United States, the design requirements for medication labels fall under the Food and Drug Administration. But depending on the type of marketed product, some of these requirements may also be influenced at the state level. Are you, for example, a cannabis grower and want to commercialize your products regionally? Then the labeling of your product will be affected by the existing state regulations in your area. But for pharmaceuticals or OTC, the FDA regulations are clear. The marketed product must include the active ingredient used, the purpose for which it is used, instructions for usage, and warnings where these are valid.
In the case of products such as dietary supplements, the used healthcare labels must contain information on the source of the product, the manufacturer’s contact details, nutritional information, and a complete list of ingredients. Healthcare products must also comply with the Fair Packing and Labeling Act of 1967, which dictates the presentation of up-to-date information about the product’s identity and the manufacturing company. Moreover, in the case of OTC drugs, the product must also present a drug facts panel. The regulations you need to follow will be influenced by the product type you wish to market. Calling on a company specializing in healthcare labels could help you to identify the category in which your product falls and to create a custom label that will highlight the information needed to market it.
What Conditions Should Medication Labels Endure?
Professional medication labels must cope with various conditions and maintain legibility even in the most adverse circumstances. Firstly, they must withstand the extreme temperature differences encountered in laboratories. Some drugs can only be preserved at sub-zero temperatures, so the label adhesives must withstand freezing temperatures and high humidity. As drugs can be exposed on shelves for a long time, it is also essential for the label to be UV resistant and not fade over time. A label that loses legibility over time would violate FDA regulations and could lead to heavy fines for your company.
Healthcare labels must also be resistant to chemicals, be able to withstand leaky packages, not fade away in case of abrasion and be able to be applied to different types of materials such as HDPE or glass. Each year in the United States, over four billion medical prescriptions are dispensed, a number that is steadily increasing and that pales in comparison to the consumption of OTC drugs. For your company to have a chance to differentiate itself in this growing market, the label and packaging of the products you sell must be of the highest standard, and from this point of view, calling on the professional services of a company specialized in custom labeling production could be crucial for your success.
Custom Labels vs. Blank Ones: What to Choose?
If you need labels for the products you sell, you’ll have a choice between custom-designed ones and blank labels that you can customize yourself. What you choose will depend on your preferences, your available free time, and your budget. Blank labels are an economical solution that can help you customize your product however you want and can be created on demand according to the number of requests for your product. But DIY labels require advanced graphic design knowledge and a thorough understanding of the FDA requirements for the marketed product. A mistake in the printing process could translate into heavy fines for which your company is unprepared.
In return, custom-made labels benefit from the professional assistance of specialized staff who can work with you to enhance your brand’s design language. In the case of medication labels, the company you call upon could work with you to create a label made of premium materials that will keep its properties intact even under the harshest conditions. Custom-made labels are more expensive than their blank counterparts and may, in some cases, require a minimum order which is not advantageous for start-up companies, but the benefits to your firm, in the long run, could make it all worth it.
Do What’s Suitable for Your Enterprise
The pharmaceutical industry in the United States is booming, and with it, so is that of custom-made healthcare labels. Are you the owner of a foreign pharmaceutical company that wants to market its products in the United States? In this case, you will have to navigate many hurdles imposed by the FDA to get your product approved for American use, and one of them might be the correlation of your labels with US standards. Are you instead an American manufacturer of dietary supplements? In this case, your priority will be the label’s design.
The expertise of a professional firm specializing in custom product labels could be vital in ensuring the goods you market are in tune with the latest market regulations while providing potential customers with all the design cues needed to make an informed purchase. For the product you are marketing to be profitable, its label design will need to be outstanding, and here, calling upon the services of a professional company could be synonymous with the future success of your enterprise.
