This article, by Luke Beedle, Sales Support Manager at Sharp Clinical Services, provides an overview of why de-blistering is required, what issues this creates, and how automated de-blistering technology can be implemented to improve run rates, increase efficiency, lower costs and help reduce risks to staff. Blister-packs are a very common means of packaging pharmaceutical tablets, capsules and soft gels. Such packs generally comprise a sheet of initially flat plastic or aluminium base material, in which is formed a series of wells. A tablet is inserted into each of the wells, the open ends of which are sealed by means of a sheet of aluminium foil which is attached to the base material sheet. Each tablet is thus sealed in its own well until use, when the base material well is depressed by finger pressure and the tablet is forced out through the foil backing.