Pharmaceutical Packaging Market

[276 Pages Report] The global pharmaceutical packaging market size is estimated to be USD 99.9 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 196.8 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 14.5% from 2021 to 2026. This growth is attributed to the increased demand for pharmaceutical packaging in pharmerging economies such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China. The demand for technologically advanced solutions, such as self-administered drug delivery devices, is on the rise in developed countries such as the US, the UK, Japan, Germany, and others. Moreover, rising healthcare expenses, and growing consumer awareness regarding healthier lifestyle is driving the market for pharmaceutical packaging.

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COVID-19 impact on Global Pharmaceutical packaging Market

Covid-19 pandemic had adverse effects on the global healthcare industry. Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the pharmaceutical sector included demand changes, regulation adjustments, R&D process modifications, supply chain restructuring, and the shift towards tele-consulting and tele-medicine. In addition, trends such as industry slow-down, approval delays, self-sufficiency in pharmaceutical production supply chain, modifying clinical trial methods, and variations in consumption of health & nutritional products could be some of the anticipated long-term impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on pharmaceutical sector at both global and local level.

Packaging activities were considered crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pharmaceutical packaging companies gained from this and experienced stable revenue growth in 2020. Major pharmaceutical packaging companies had expanded their production to support the increased demand for pre-filled syringes, blister packs, vials, pouches, cartridges, bottles, and containers. This was mainly due to increased demand for Covid related vaccines and medications. In addition, pharmaceutical packaging for biologics, sterile packaging, smart packaging, patient focus packaging, cleanroom expansion, and others would drive the market in the long term.

Pharmaceutical packaging Market Dynamics

Driver: Growing demand for drug delivery devices and blister packaging

The demand for drug delivery devices and innovative packaging is increasing with the growing use of biologics and non-traditional administration routes such as nasal, transdermal, rectal, and IV. These systems have changed the market dynamics and have become as important as the drug itself. Growing preference for unit dosage packaging is further fueling the growth of this segment. The growing prevalence of chronic diseases, growth in biologics market, and technological advancements are expected to further drive the market for drug delivery and related packaging systems.

Blister packaging is gaining popularity owing to its ease of use. It is used for packaging of drugs as unit-dose packaging system. This packaging requires fewer resources to manufacture, provides compact packaging, has greater shelf life, better product visibility, easy handling, and availability at lower cost compared to rigid bottles, bags, etc. The growing over-the-counter medicine sale and increased level of product safety from contaminants such as moisture and oxygen are also driving the growth of this type of packaging. This type of packaging is easier to use and can also be customized according to patient requirements.

Restrain: Lack of access to proper healthcare

According to a WHO report, nearly half of the global population is unable to afford required healthcare services. In 2017, around 800 million spent at least 10% of their household budget in health expenses which reduced their household income to near poverty, as per findings by Global Monitoring Report.

Poverty is a major barrier to accessing healthcare facilities in these emerging economies. Financial constraints, lack of information, outdated equipment, lack of proper staff, and awareness of proper healthcare practices are the major challenges that limit the access to healthcare services. These issues together restrain the growth of the pharmaceutical packaging market in emerging regions such as India, Brazil, South Africa, and others. However, better government policies and strict implementation of regulations will boost the market in the next five years.

Opportunity: Growing demand for primary pharmaceutical packaging

Rise of advanced and diverse drug producing companies in developed economies such as the US, Japan, Canada, Germany, France, and the UK and growth in use of advanced packaging technologies such as patient specific dosages, eco-friendly packaging, and innovative counterfeiting techniques will drive the growth for primary packaging. Furthermore, India, Russia, Turkey, Mexico, Argentina, and China are expected to become some of the fastest growing markets owing to rapidly expanding pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities and adoption of more stringent regulations intended at improving the quality and reliability of domestically produced drugs.

Challenge: Safeguarding against counterfeit products

Counterfeit drugs are made with incorrect ingredients in improper quantities, which when consumed would result in dangerous effects such as allergic reactions or sometimes death. Anti-malarial and antibiotics are among the most commonly counterfeited medical products. Nearly half of the counterfeit drugs are reported in developing economies such as China, Vietnam, and the Philippines. These counterfeit products have negative effects on the human body, in terms of allergic reactions, vomiting, nausea, and others. Safeguarding against these counterfeit products is a major challenge for the sector.

Pharmaceutical Packaging Market: Value Chain Analysis

Plastics is projected to be the fastest growing raw material segment in the pharmaceutical packaging market

Plastic offers freedom of design and cost-effective solution, making it a highly compatible solution for pharmaceutical packaging. The plastics & polymers segment dominates the overall pharmaceutical packaging market. HDPE is the most widely used material in the plastics & polymers segment. The market for this segment is driven by the increasing demand for plastic bottles, medical specialty bags, and other pharmaceutical packaging components made of plastic or polymer.

Pre-filled syringes is expected to witness fastest growth in the pharmaceutical packaging market during the forecast period.

Prefilled syringes are prepacked single dose unit of drugs in which the needle has been fixed. Prefilled syringes provide advantages such as minimal drug wastage, increased product lifespan, enhanced protection, ease of use, reliable, sterility, self-medication features, and others. These packaging are convenient and ease the administration process to patients. These systems reduce patient exposure to toxic substance and decrease needle sticks.

Oral is anticipated to be the largest pharmaceutical packaging drug delivery mode in 2021.

Oral drug delivery is the most preferred administration route for any drug owing to its noninvasiveness, high patient compliance, convenience of handling, and non-requirement of any specific sterile conditions. Oral drug delivery mode is anticipated to be the largest category in the overall pharmaceutical packaging market. This large market size can be attributed to the convenience in usage, increased incidence of chronic diseases, improving patient compliance, and reformulation and repositioning of drugs using advanced oral delivery systems, and heavy investments made by big pharmaceutical players for enhancing in-house capabilities to develop oral drug delivery technologies.

APAC is expected to witness fastest growth in the pharmaceutical packaging market during the forecast period.

APAC is forecasted to be the fastest-growing region in the pharmaceutical packaging market in 2020. The recent trends toward improved healthcare systems and access to healthcare services in APAC could offer the pharmaceutical packaging providers new opportunities for growth in the region. The pharmerging market of the APAC region is expected to witness the fastest growth in the coming years due to increasing government initiatives, growing population, changing lifestyle, growing contract manufacturing activities, and the aging population. Increasing government initiatives in emerging pharmaceutical market, increase in contract manufacturing activities, rise in aging population, and increased spending on healthcare are driving the market in APAC. Japan, China, Australia, India, and South Korea are the major markets in this region. In addition, growing technological advancements in healthcare sector in countries such as China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and others, increasing urbanization, and changing lifestyle are also some of the driving factors for the market growth in pharmaceutical packaging industry.

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Key Market Players

The key players in the pharmaceutical packaging market include Berry Global (US), Catalent (US), Schott AG (Germany), West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (US), WestRock (US), Aptar Group (US), Gerresheimer AG (Germany), and Amcor (Switzerland). The pharmaceutical packaging market report analyzes the key growth strategies, such as new product launches, investments & expansions, joint ventures, agreements, partnerships, and mergers & acquisitions adopted by the leading market players between 2018 and 2021.

Pharmaceutical Packaging Market Report Scope

This research report categorizes the pharmaceutical packaging market based on raw material, types, drug delivery modes, and region.

By Material:

• Plastics
• Paper & paperboards
• Glass
• Metal
• Others

By Drug Delivery:

• Oral Drugs
• Injectables
• Topical
• Ocular/ Ophthalmic
• Nasal
• Pulmonary
• Transdermal
• IV Drugs
• Others
• Others

By Type:

• Plastic bottles
• Blister
• Labels & accessories
• Caps & closures
• Pre-filled syringes
• Medical specialty bags
• Temp controlled packaging
• Pouches & strip packs
• Pre-filled inhalers
• Vials
• Ampoules
• Medication tubes
• Jars & Canisters
• Cartriges
• Others

By Region:

• North America
• APAC
• Europe
• Middle East & Africa
• South America

The pharmaceutical packaging market has been further analyzed based on key countries in each of these regions.

Recent Developments

• In May 2021, Gerresheimer introduced a new platform for on body infusion pump “SensAIR”, that can deliver drugs of high viscosity. It is easy to use and helps in self determination of medication.
• In February 2020, Berry Global introduced new oval tube, extruded, formed and decorated at facility in United States. These oval tubes are suitable for variety of products other than healthcare such as beauty and personal care or homecare.
• In April 2019, Amcor launched a new product named AmLite Ultra Recyclable. This revolutionary product is expected to provide the advantage of a reduced carbon footprint. It is available in various forms such as pillow pouches, stick packs, and bags. The product is certified for recyclability by cyclos-HTP Institute.
• In August 2018, Schott announced it expected to increase production capacity of polymer syringes with volume size 1–50 ml, by 2020. This production line will be installed in Switzerland. The company will be able to serve the increasing demand for polymer syringes through this expansion.

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