SnapSlide, LLC, a packaging innovations company dedicated to making it easier for consumers to access pharmaceutical products, and Paramount Global, a prominent packaging distributor and supply chain partner, received a Gold Award from the National Association of Container Distributors at the organization’s annual recognition ceremony. SnapSlide and Paramount shared top billing in the “Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical” category for their teamwork bringing to market the former’s groundbreaking medicine vial cap, which provides single-handed access and secure, child-resistant closing.
Developed as a slide-to-open/close alternative to conventional twisting mechanics, the SnapSlide® technology represents a potentially life-changing innovation for the over 60 million Americans with dexterity issues, including arthritis, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. Of these, an estimated 12 million are temporarily or permanently unable to use one of their arms or hands. These include amputees, stroke/paralysis patients, and many faced with congenital birth defects, for whom conventional pharmaceutical closures are virtually impossible to open, dose with precision, and close with one arm.
In fact, the SnapSlide closure has proven to be substantially more popular regardless of dexterity issues. In focus groups, nearly 90% of consumers preferred SnapSlide to conventional amber vial closures. Two-thirds reported they would be more loyal to brands adopting SnapSlide – and likely to switch to a competing brand if theirs did not incorporate the solution. Aligning with consumer demands for enhanced sustainability, the closure also uses approximately 25% less plastic than conventional caps.
“We were on a critical mission to get this product into the market,” said Rocky Batzel, CEO/Inventor of SnapSlide. “Paramount Global was the ideal partner because they shared our high standards for precision and expediency.”
For the project, SnapSlide engaged with Paramount Global to identify and enlist an ideal manufacturing partner to efficiently bring the new closure to market. Both companies coordinated closely with the manufacturer throughout the development and production process to transition the technology from an aspirational concept to a completed, commercial-ready product.
“SnapSlide is a great example of what happens when you rethink a familiar product category from the ground up,” said Joe Simich, Global Key Account Manager at Paramount Global. “The goal was to make child-resistant packaging easier to use without compromising safety, a vision that required executing with incredibly tight manufacturing tolerances. Winning an NACD Gold Award validates the impact this product will have, especially in improving accessibility. I’m proud of our team and partners for helping to bring this game-changing solution to the pharmaceutical space.”
In addition to the NACD Gold Award, the SnapSlide closure also has received the prestigious IoPP AmeriStar Award, as well as the People's Choice Award for Sustainability Innovation from the Plastics Industry Association.