H.B. Fuller, a global manufacturer of industrial adhesives, recently announced new adhesive grades with hot-melt advanced technology for extreme cold storage of vaccines and medication packaging. The Advantra adhesives offer a secure bond at -70° C with tamper-evident fiber tear.

Proper packaging is essential to securely and reliably preserve and transport pharmaceutical products, including vaccines and medication, from the time they are filled until they get to a patient.

Adhesives play a key role in packaging performance, particularly in the face of strict storage requirements. Some vaccines need to be kept at -70° C (-94° F), which leads to complex packaging requirements and the need to set up ultra-low-temperature freezers at vaccination centers.

These storage requisites create logistics and transportation challenges for carriers and a wide preparation for national health systems. H.B. Fuller now offers readily available extreme cold resistant adhesive grades with Advantra 9280 EU and Advantra BOLD 9480. These have been designed for tough surfaces and harsh conditions, such as high-speed pharmaceutical packaging lines without counter-pressure. Performance grades of both are available globally.

The adhesive innovator has conducted a series of tests with several industry-standard pharmaceutical packaging carton samples at its H.B. Fuller’s Lüneburg Adhesive Academy, in Germany. These solutions have been carefully formulated for reliable adhesion on GC1 and GC2 type carton boards.

After extensive testing, H.B. Fuller’s Advantra adhesives demonstrate tamper-evident fiber tear on pharmaceutical packaging and confirmed fiber tear after seven days storage at -70° C — and after re-conditioning at refrigerator temperatures of 4° C (39° F). H.B. Fuller recommends pharmaceutical companies to conduct additional testing on their specific materials before commercial use.