Qolpac, Holst Centre to Bring Smart Blister Packaging to Mass Market

Holst Centre and Qolpac have extended their partnership to develop existing smart blister technology for high-volume pharmaceutical applications. Under the agreement, Qolpac joins Holst Centre’s “Integration technologies for flexible systems” shared research program.

Together, the new partners will extend Holst Centre’s existing thin-foil smart blister technology to create intelligent tablet packaging that actively helps people adhere to medication regimes.

Smart blisters are pharmaceutical packages capable of monitoring when a pill is taken out of its packaging. Qolpac and Holst Centre have jointly developed a technology that integrates an ultra-low-power processor and radio into a thin plastic foil that could replace the standard backing foil of a blister package. Drawing on Qolpac’s expertise in therapy adherence solutions, the two partners will further develop this technology for mass-market use. This includes finding suppliers and manufacturers capable of supporting a high-volume application.

“Printed electronics has reached a certain level of maturity and it is now time for the technology to go to market. We believe smart blister pharmaceutical packaging will be one of the first printed electronics applications to reach the consumer. Working with Qolpac will help us take our technology to the next level towards market-readiness,” said Jeroen van den Brand, program manager integration technologies for flexible systems at Holst Centre.

“Qolpac aims to improve quality of life for individual patients through therapy adherence solutions that enable assisted living and allow patients to take control of their treatment. Within this vision, we have an ambition to bring smart blister packaging to the market to help monitor whether patients are taking their necessary medication. As a leader in flexible electronics with a global reputation, we believe Holst Centre is the ideal partner to help us realize that ambition,” said Qolpac CEO Bjorn Janse.