Packaging films & foils are used for providing protection to the products being packed in it. The protection is supposed to be provided from physical factors such dust, shocks etc as well as environmental factors such as moisture, gases & light.
Based on the degree of protection required as well as considering user convenience, many pharmaceutical manufacturers adopt different packaging systems for their products. There are number of polymeric products which provide higher degree of moisture and oxygen barrier to the products being packed. But Aluminium foil based products are considered as ultimate barrier to metal composition of the packaging material.
However, due to pack size restraints, use of cold form foil may not be convenient or feasible in some cases. Under these circumstances, pharmaceutical manufacturers may opt for additional Alu foil packaging to provide better protection from moisture.
Tropical foil is one such packaging. A tropical foil is composed of soft Alu foil laminated with OPA on dull side and coated with heat seal lacquer on bright side. The heat seal lacquer can be compatible for sealing with only PVC or both PVC & PVdC.
Tropical foils can be considered as a secondary packaging for the tablet or capsule. The pharmaceutical product (tablet or capsule) is first packed in a polymer (PVC or PVdC) and Alu lidding foil packaging system. The HSL coated side of Tropical foil is then sealed with the outer polymer layer in blister packaging system to provide additional protection.
Tropical foils derive its name for the target climatic conditions, i.e. tropical conditions where high moisture or humidity is observed. Tropical foils are designed to provide protection to pharmaceutical products in such tropical conditions.
