Management of Packaging Artwork Design for Medicines in the Pharmaceutical Industry: Standardised Labelling and Package Leaflet Requirements and their Assessment Process in the European Centralised Procedure

  • Rabab Abdo Mohamed Fadlelmula Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance Specialist, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ahfad University for Women, Sudan

Abstract

Artwork design involves creating and developing visual components, layouts, and graphic illustrations used in the packaging and labeling of medicinal products. These designs represent a paramount role in linking essential information about medications and ensuring adherence to regulatory compliance. Despite their significance, pharmaceutical industries confront several hindrances in artwork design, such as meeting regulatory requirements, maintaining brand consistency, addressing multilingual needs, and managing time and cost constraints.


This article discusses the process of managing packaging artwork design within the pharmaceutical industry and outlines the EU regulatory requirements aimed at standardizing artwork compliance. It elucidates the assessment process according to the Directives and Regulations for mock-ups and specimens of immediate (primary) and outer (secondary) labeling, as well as package leaflets for medicinal products in the centralized procedure.


The article also outlines a comparison of labeling workflows and submission processes across the EU, US, Australia, and Japan. Furthermore, it highlights the influence of packaging artwork on brand recognition and marketing approach, emphasizing patient safety through precise pharmaceutical packaging information. Additionally, it expounds the significance of artwork review and change control management. It also shows the proportion of recalls in the US and the EU over the past years. It outlines strategic perspectives and the latest updates that are influencing EU labeling practices in 2025.

Keywords: Artwork design, Packaging, Product leaflet (PL), Labeling, Medicinal Product, Brand identity, Pharmaceutical Industry, European Medicines Agency (EMA), Regulation

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Rabab Abdo Mohamed Fadlelmula, Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance Specialist, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ahfad University for Women, Sudan

Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance Specialist, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ahfad University for Women, Sudan

References

1. Artwork Review Checklists Explained: Ultimate Guide to Regulatory Labelling and Packaging Compliance [Internet]. PharmaRegulatory.in – India’s Regulatory Knowledge Hub; 2025 [cited 2025 Nov 15]. Available from:
https://www.pharmaregulatory.in/artwork-review-checklists-explained-ultimate-guide-to-regulatory-labelling-and-packaging-compliance/
2. Ravindranath V, Navigating FDA Guidelines for Pharmaceutical Packaging: A Focus on Packaging Artwork [Internet]. Schlafender Hase; 2025 Apr 02 [cited 2025 Jun 01]. Available from:
https://www.schlafenderhase.com/shblog/navigating-fda-guidelines-pharmaceutical-packaging-artwork
3. Effective Artwork Management in Pharmaceutical Industry [Internet]. Pharmadigests; 2024 Nov 23 [cited 2025 May 02]. Available from:
https://pharmadigests.com/effective-artwork-management-in-pharmaceutical-industry/#google_vignette
4. Guidelines on Packaging for Pharmaceutical Products | Part I [Internet]. Pharmadigests; 2023 Sep 22 [cited 2025 Jul 05]. Available from:
https://pharmadigests.com/guidelines-on-packaging-for-pharmaceutical-products-part-i/
5. Keller D, Why is Packaging Design Artwork Key in Pharmaceutical Marketing? [Internet]. Catalpha; 2025 [cited 2025 Sep 17]. Available from:
https://blog.catalpha.com/why-is-packaging-artwork-key-in-pharmaceutical-marketing
6. How Does Pharmaceutical Packaging Box Design Enhance Brand Identity? [Internet]. Chemzingraphics 2025 Jul 21 [cited 2025 Oct 26]. Available from:
https://www.chemzingraphics.com/pharmaceutical-packaging-box-design/
7. Freyr solutions. Package Label Requirements Across the European Union [Internet]. Freyrsolutions; 2025 May 26 [cited 2025 Jun 18]. Available from:
https://www.freyrsolutions.com/blog/package-label-requirements-across-the-european-union
8. European Medicines Agency. Mock-ups and specimens [Internet]. EU:EMA;2025 [cited 2025 Dec 01]. Available from:
https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/human-regulatory-overview/marketing-authorisation/product-information-requirements/mock-ups-specimens
9. European Medicines Agency. Guideline on the packaging information of medicinal products for human use authorised by the Union [Internet]. European Commission; 2023 Sep [cited 2025 Oct 14]. Available from:
https://health.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-09/2018_packaging_guidelines_en_1.pdf/
10. European Medicines Agency. Checking process of mock-ups and specimens of outer/immediate labelling and package leaflets of human medicinal products in the centralised procedure [Internet]. EU:EMA; 2022 Sep 27 [cited 2025 Jul 09]. Available from:
https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/regulatory-procedural-guideline/checking-process-mock-ups-and-specimens-outer-immediate-labelling-and-package-leaflets-human-medicinal-products-centralised-procedure_en.pdf
11. EU Drug Labelling Explained: Ultimate Guide to EMA Compliance and QRD Templates [Internet]. PharmaRegulatory.in – India’s Regulatory Knowledge Hub; 2025 [cited 2025 Oct 10]. Available from:
https://www.pharmaregulatory.in/eu-drug-labelling-explained-ultimate-guide-to-ema-compliance-and-qrd-templates/
12. US Drug Labelling Explained: Ultimate Guide to FDA Compliance and Submission Best Practices [Internet]. Pharma Regulatory; 2025 Aug 15 [cited 2025 Nov 18]. Available from:
https://www.pharmaregulatory.in/us-drug-labelling-explained-ultimate-guide-to-fda-compliance-and-submission-best-practices/
13. TGA & PMDA Labelling Explained: Ultimate Guide to Regulatory Compliance in Australia and Japan [Internet]. PharmaRegulatory.in – India’s Regulatory Knowledge Hub; 2025 [cited 2025 Nov 29]. Available from:
https://www.pharmaregulatory.in/tga-pmda-labelling-explained-ultimate-guide-to-regulatory-compliance-in-australia-and-japan/
14. Artwork Change Control Management in the Pharma Industry [Internet]. Zamann Pharma Support; 2025 Feb 24 [cited 2025 May 22]. Available from:
https://zamann-pharma.com/2025/02/24/artwork-change-control-management-in-the-pharma-industry/
15. Drug Recall, What are the common causes [Internet] Sen Pharma; 2024 Jul 24[cited 2025 Aug 29]. Available from:
https://senpharma.vn/en/what-are-the-common-causes-of-drug-recall/
16. Artwork and Label Management for Life Sciences and Pharma [Internet]. Artwork Flow by Esko: 2024 Dec 24 [cited 2025 Nov 18]. Available from:
https://www.artworkflowhq.com/resources/artwork-and-label-management-for-life-sciences-and-pharma
17. Occleshaw C, 2023 was a record-breaking year for European product recalls [Internet]. Sedgwick; 2024 Mar 2025 [cited 2025 Jul 17]. Available from:
https://www.sedgwick.com/blog/2023-was-a-record-breaking-year-for-european-product-recalls/?loc=af-me
18. Why Drug Recalls Are Rising and What Quality Leaders Can Do to Reverse the Trend [Internet]. Compliance Quest; 2025 Sep 11 [cited 2025 Oct 30]. Available from:
https://www.compliancequest.com/blog/rising-drug-recalls-how-quality-leaders-can-reverse-trend/#:~:text=FDA%20drug%20warning%20letters%20and,compliance%2C%20and%20supply%20chain%20oversight.
19. Ghijs S, Wynendaele E, Spiegeleer B. The continuing challenge of drug recalls: Insights from a ten-year FDA data analysis. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis. [Internet]. 2024[cited 2025 Oct 30]; 249.
doi.org/10.1016/j.jpba.2024.116349
20. Electronic product information (ePI) [Internet] European Medicines Agency (EMA); 2025 [cited 2025 Nov 27]. Available from:
https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/human-regulatory-overview/marketing-authorisation/product-information-requirements/electronic-product-information-epi
Statistics
91 Views | 356 Downloads
How to Cite
1.
Abdo Mohamed Fadlelmula R. Management of Packaging Artwork Design for Medicines in the Pharmaceutical Industry: Standardised Labelling and Package Leaflet Requirements and their Assessment Process in the European Centralised Procedure. Int J Drug Reg Affairs [Internet]. 2025Dec.16 [cited 2026Jan.31];13(4):81-0. Available from: https://www.ijdra.com/index.php/journal/article/view/831