The present invention relates to a label comprising an inbuilt hanger for pharmaceutical products particularly intravenous feeding bottle.
Label is one of the integral parts of the pharmaceutical formulations. Labels are applied on pharmaceutical products to identify the products contained in the packaging and to provide instruction for handling the products.
An important aspect related to intravenous drug formulation is easy and safe administration of drug to the patient. Intravenous feeding bottles are necessarily suspended for administering the drug to patient. Usually bottles are suspended by a plastic hanger fitted on the base of bottle. Keeping different objectives in mind like easy manufacturing technique, manufacturing cost, easy and safe handling of drug delivery set during drug administration and patient compliance, different developments in the design of hanger used for hanging has been done in the art.
Oldest method which was used in the field of hanging device incorporated in intravenous drug delivery system was flexible hanger supplied along with the pack, which comprised separate hanging device provided along with bottle which was to be placed manually on the bottle at the time of drug administration. In further development, system were developed in the art, in which plastic cup was fitted at the base of bottle. In this system a separate inventory needs to be maintained which requires additional steps for its fitment during production.
US patent No. 2,635,604 discloses a cup-shaped member of ductile metal that fits over the bottom of a glass bottle for dispensing intravenous fluids. The cup-shaped member includes a lip that fits within an annular groove formed in the bottle near its base. The end of the cap is cut out in a pattern leaving a handle portion that can be bent away from the remaining portion of the cap for suspending the bottle.
US patent No. 5,135,125 discloses a label for identifying contents of intravenous feeding bottle and attaching hanging ring to intravenous bottle by incorporating the
hanging rings as integral parts of labels for intravenous bottles. The label cum hanger disclosed in this patent is made up of multiple layers of construction material.
Even though the system disclosed in this patent utilizes latest concept of label cum hanger technique and overcame the certain drawbacks associated with technique explored in the art, this inbuilt hanger in label is made up of multiple layers of construction material. This multilayer system has certain limitations of complex technology and process of production which further causes relatively more cost.
In spite of developments done in past, there remains a need to develop an alternative labeling system comprising hanger inbuilt in label used for delivering intravenous drug formulations, which involves relatively simple, cost-effective and less time consuming process of production and increases compliance in handling during the drug administration.
Hence in one general aspect there is provided a label comprising an inbuilt hanger.
In another general aspect there is provided a label comprising an inbuilt hanger to suspend the intravenous feeding bottle during the administration of drug to the patient.
In another general aspect there is provided a label comprising an inbuilt hanger, wherein the label is made up of a single layer film of material used.
In another general aspect there is provided a label comprising an inbuilt hanger wherein the hanger is formed in a portion of label by a pattern of cut.
In another general aspect there is provided a label comprising an inbuilt hanger wherein the label is cut in specific pattern to form the hanger with specific radius of curvature to provide optimum hanging properties.
In another general aspect there is provided a label comprising an inbuilt hanger wherein the label is cut at different positions with respect to vertically central axis of the label.
In another general aspect there is provided a label comprising an inbuilt hanger wherein the label is made up of a single layer film of material used which further comprises a layer of adhesive and a craft liner.
In another general aspect there is provided a label comprising an inbuilt hanger wherein the label is attached to intravenous feed bottle by
> Peeling of the craft liner
> Mounting the label on the bottle through the adhesive layer.
In another general aspect there is provided a label comprising an inbuilt hanger wherein the curved portion of the hanging ring extending between its two ends may be peeled apart from the remaining portion of the label for suspending the bottle from a conventional intravenous feeding stand.
Administration of large amount of drug formulation intravenously, requires suspending the intravenous feed bottle downward to provide gravity induced flow during the administration of drug to the patient. To fulfill this requirement hanging devices have become an integral part of intravenous drug delivery set. Incorporating the hanger device in the intravenous drug delivery set remains the one of important concerns from the manufacturer's point of view. Necessarily including hanger devices in intravenous set leads to an extra manufacturing cost, packaging and handling care needs to be taken and extra care needs to be taken during the administration of drug which negatively affect patient compliance as well as compatibility of hospital staff. Hanger device disclosed in present invention is inbuilt to the label itself which certainly overcome the concerns related to intravenous system discussed above. Moreover present system is made up of a single layer of easily available plastic material. This system involves easy manufacturing technique and low in cost as well as it can be
easily printed using any printing machine and can be applied easily to the intravenous feed bottle.
In one of the embodiment there is provided a label comprising a hanger as shown in fig. 1. The whole system comprises a label (1) which is die cut to prepare an inbuilt hanger (2) wherein the two sides (2') of hanger originates from different positions with respect to vertically central axis of the label to provide different hanger profiles (fig. 2) comprising:
(i) Centre to centre profile
(ii) Side to centre profile
(iii) Centre to side profile
(iv) Side to side profile
In another embodiment there is provided a label comprising a hanger as shown in fig.1. The whole system comprises a label (1) which is die cut to prepare an inbuilt hanger (2) wherein the two sides(2') of hanger originates from the portion of label which are intended to cover opposite diametral surface of intravenous bottle.
The label as used herein may include any written, printed or graphical material containing drug information disseminated by or on behalf of manufacturer of that drug for use by health care professional.
The hanger as used herein may include an article two sides of which originate from the label itself and form a ring type structure as shown in fig. 3 and 4 which serves the purpose of hanging the bottle to ensure the gravity induced flow of drug formulation during the administration to the patient.
The label comprising an inbuilt hanger is made up of single layer of material selected form the group consisting of polypropylene (LDP, HDP etc.), polystyrene, high impact polystyrene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyester, polyamides, polyvinyl chloride, polyurethanes, polycarbonate, polyvinylidene chloride,
polyethylene (HDPE, LDPE, VLDPE etc.), polycarbonate/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polymethyl methacrylate, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyetheretherketone, polyetherimide, phenolics (PF) or (phenol formaldehydes), urea-formaldehyde, melamine formaldehyde, polylacticacid, plastarch material and the like.
In another embodiment the label is made up of a single layer film of material used. The film layer has a front and back surface 4 and 5 respectively. A layer of adhesive 6 is applied to the back surface 5 of the label. A craft liner 7 is applied over adhesive which protects the adhesive layer 6 until the label is ready to be mounted on a bottle. Front surface 4 of the label comprises printed information of drug formulation contained in the bottle (Fig. 3).
In another embodiment there is provided the process of applying the label comprising an inbuilt hanger which include:
> Peeling of the craft liner exposing the first adhesive layer 6 for bonding the label to the bottle.
> Mounting the adhesive surface of label to the bottle such that the two sides 2' of the hanger are located on opposite diametrical sides of the bottle, and the hanger projects vertically from its ends within the label toward the top portion of the bottle.
In another embodiment there is provided a method of using the label of present invention which comprise removing the hanger from the remaining portion of the label and folding against its ends as shown in Fig 4 and 5 for pivoting the hanger over the base of the bottle
The intravenous feeding bottle as used herein may comprise a bottle comprising a drug formulation to be administered intravenously to patient in need thereof. The bottle may be made up of any materials e.g. glass, polyethylene polymers High Density Poly
Ethylene, Low Density Poly Ethylene, or mixture thereof), Poly vinyl chloride, Poly ethylene tetra phthalate, (single layer or multilayer), laminated paper, any organic or inorganic, metallic or non metallic materials and the like.
While there have been shown and described what are the preferred embodiments of the invention, one skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications in the label comprising an inbuilt hanger, process of manufacture and method of use thereof may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as it is defined by the appended claims.

WE CLAIM:
1. A label comprising an inbuilt hanger wherein the label is used to suspend the intravenous feeding bottle during the administration of drug to the patient.
2. The label as claimed in claim 1 wherein the label is made up of a single layer film of material used.
3. The label as claimed in claim 1 wherein the label is made up of a single layer film of material selected from the group comprising polypropylene, polystyrene, high impact polystyrene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyester, polyamides, polyvinyl chloride, polyurethanes, polycarbonate, polyvinylidene chloride, polyethylene (HDPE, LDPE, VLDPE etc.), polycarbonate/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polymethyl methacrylate, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyetheretherketone, polyetherimide, phenolics (PF) or (phenol formaldehydes), urea-formaldehyde, melamine formaldehyde, polylactic acid, plastarch.
4. The label as claimed in claim 1 wherein the inbuilt hanger is formed in a portion of label by a pattern of cut.
5. The label as claimed in claim 1 wherein the back surface of the label is pasted with a layer of adhesive over which a craft liner is applied to protect the adhesive layer till the label is mounted on a bottle.
6. The label as claimed in claim 1 wherein the front surface of the label comprises printed contents.
7. The label as claimed in claim 1 wherein the label comprising an inbuilt hanger to suspend the intravenous feeding bottle downward to provide gravity induced flow during the administration of drug to the patient.
8. A method of applying the label as claimed in claim 1 wherein the label is attached on intravenous feed bottle by peeling of the craft liner, and mounting the label to the bottle through the adhesive layer.
9. A method of using the label as claimed in claim 1 wherein the curved portion of the hanging ring extending between its two ends is peeled apart from the remaining portion of the label for suspending the bottle from a conventional intravenous feeding stand.
10. A label comprising an inbuilt hanger as described and illustrated in the figures herein.