Tjoapack has signed a five-year agreement with Photocure for the packaging of its proprietary bladder cancer detection products.

Hexvix/Cysview is a drug that is selectively taken up by cancer cells in the bladder making them glow bright pink during blue light cystoscopy (BLCTM). BLCTM with Hexvix/Cysview improves the detection of tumors and leads to more complete resection and less residual tumors.

The contract will see Tjoapack perform the secondary packaging and assembly of product kits for supply to 25 European countries, the U.S., Canada and Australia.

“We’re delighted to be working with a company like Photocure who’s technology can make such a difference to patients,” said Dexter Tjoa, director corporate strategy, Tjoapack. “Photocure has a global customer base, which comes with many potential challenges. At Tjoapack, we have a huge amount of experience in meeting the demands of multiple markets, especially when it comes to complying with legislation, such as artwork requirements and serialisation.

“In addition, the flexibility offered by our on-site warehousing facility will allow us to ensure continued supply in the shortest possible lead times. We hope this will be the start of a long and successful partnership.”

During the project, Tjoapack will be working with semi-finished stock stored at its facility, only finalizing and assembling kits when orders come in.

Gry Stensrud, vice president of technical development and operations, Photocure said, “Photocure delivers transformative solutions to improve the lives of bladder cancer patients. This is very much in line with Tjoapack’s ethos which was a big decision-making factor for us when choosing a partner.

“We were also specifically looking for a supplier who was ready for serialization. While our product does not need to be serialized in the U.S. as imaging drugs are exempt there, compliance with the EU FMD is vital in order to ensure continuous supply to our European markets.”

Photocure, The Bladder Cancer Company, is headquartered in Oslo, Norway.

Founded in 1989, Tjoapack is an independent contract packager of medicines servicing clients across five continents and 42 countries.

The CPO specializes in primary packaging for solid dosage forms, secondary packaging, unit dose packaging and serialization. The company now has a total of 19 packaging lines, including blisters, wallets and bottles, as well as developing bespoke solutions for specialist projects.