Award-winning Dundonald-based company Sepha has unveiled a new machine known that tests for leaks in pharmaceutical packaging, at the PackExpo exhibition in Chicago last month.
 
 The new machine known as PakScan is developed based on the current BlisterScan machine, which is used to test for leaks in blister packs of tablets and capsules. Now the new machine tests for holes in sachets and sealed pouches, which are an increasingly popular form of packaging for medicines as they hold handy-sized quantities in powder form.
 
 Until now pharmaceutical companies have had to use the traditional blue-dye testing method to check for leaks in sachets and pouches. This method uses a liquid to test and therefore renders the packs and their contents unuseable regardless of whether they have a hole in them or not.
 
 However, because PakScan can identify leaks in sachets and pouches using a clean, dry and non-destructive test, rather than the traditional liquid test that renders the packs unuseable, all samples that pass the test can be re-introduced to the packaging line, resulting in reduced wastage and increased productivity for the pharmaceutical company.