Several trends are considered as the future of global pharmaceutical packaging, according to research and analysis from researchers at Pharmapack Europe.
According to the trends we can distinguish serialization, sustainability, smaller production lots and patient engagement
Let’s have a look at each of them and try to understand its importance to the pharmaceutical packaging industry.
1. Serialization and track-and-trace
European Union (EU) regulations mandating pharmaceutical serialization, which took effect in February 2019, together with the U.S. Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA), whose compliance deadlines extend into late 2023, will drive serialization and track-and-trace efforts geared to pharmaceutical traceability and authenticity.
2. Sustainability
Developers of pharmaceutical packaging companies are placing more emphasis on sustainability. Therefore we can noticed the great amount of work on the recyclable and biodegradable packaging materials industry. At the same time, lifecycle analyses and carbon-footprint reduction are all expected to play a great role. In-store recycling, patients return used inhalers and other devices to the pharmacy so that it can be recycled and passed all the necessary steps before production.
3. Patient engagement
One of the major points in this industry is the convenience for patients. That is why medicinal packaging companies while producing this kind of products make it convenient and engaging for patients. So making it easier to manage dosing, drug compliance and the overall treatment experience will become more prevalent. Hence beta testing will support and enhance the development of patient-friendly products manufacturing.
4. Smaller production lots
With the development of biologics and other personalized medicines will drive smaller production lots, which will, in turn, increase the necessity for packaging machinery suited to those lot sizes. As Packaging Digest reported earlier this year, a packaging-machinery supplier and a German university have been working on a pilot program with the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) to automate manufacturing, filling and packaging of personalized cell and gene therapies.
In recent years, some traditional packaging materials and packaging containers have been replaced by newborn materials and new types of containers. This is an amazing result of industrial advancement and market competition. It also reflects the global trends towards environment protection. As a result, medical devices and medicine packaging have become a growing trend for the future.
Author
Nick Jacobs is a marketing and content specialist at Xinrontube with a primary focus on Marketing and Business Development. Being a true humanist, he draws inspiration from the simple things as everyday life and the matters one come across on a daily basis doing his best and above to help everyone around.
