PHARMACEUTICAL PACKAGING MARKET ANALYSIS

Global pharmaceutical packaging market is expected to reach US$ 349.58 Bn by 2031, from US$ 145.29 Bn in 2023, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.6% during the forecast period (2024-2031).

Pharmaceutical packaging, which is also known as drug packaging, involves activities from pharmaceutical production to distribution to the end user, through the distribution channels. Technological advancements, rise in demand for devices of drug delivery, increasing demand for eco-friendly and reusable packaging, rapid development in healthcare services coupled with rapid urbanization especially in the emerging economies such as India, and China are some of the major factors responsible for the growth of the pharmaceutical packaging market at the global level.

The fluctuating price of raw materials may affect the buying potential of such items. Therefore, fluctuating prices of raw materials that are used for the manufacturing of pharmaceutical packaging products is one of the primary factors hindering growth of the market.

Market Regional Insights:

• North America is expected to be the largest market for pharmaceutical packaging market, accounting for 39% of the market share in 2024. The market growth o in North America can be attributed to increasing demand for pharmaceutical packaging in countries such as U.S., and Canada.
• Europe is estimated to account for 27% of the market share in 2024. The market growth in Europe can be attributed to increasing demand for pharmaceutical packaging in countries such as France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Russia.
• Asia Pacific is estimated to account for 19% of the market share in 2024. The market growth in Asia Pacific can be attributed to increasing demand for pharmaceutical packaging in countries such as India and China.

Figure 1. Pharmaceutical Packaging Market Share (%), By Region, 2023

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Analyst’s Views:

Global pharmaceutical packaging market growth is driven by the growing need for effective packaging solutions to prevent drug damage, tampering and contamination. Rising healthcare expenditures and increasing consumption of medicines are further propelling the demand for various pharmaceutical packaging materials such as plastic bottles, blister packs, parenteral containers and closures.

North America dominates the global market owing to high pharmaceutical production and a large patient pool being treated for chronic diseases in the region. However, the fastest growth is likely to be witnessed in Asia Pacific due to increasing generic drug manufacturing, rising incomes and healthcare reforms in populous nations like India and China. Regulations pertaining to drug safety and patient compliance also determine the use of specialized packaging with anti-counterfeiting technologies. While developments in material sciences are allowing the use of novel packaging solutions and stringent regulatory norms continue to increase the compliance burden for packaging manufacturers. High research & development (R&D) investments that are require to innovate sustainable and customizable designs act as a key restraint. Lack of adequate healthcare infrastructure in developing countries also hinders market prospects to some extent. Opportunities exist in personalized medicine segments where specialized packaging is necessary. Increasing collaborations between drug makers and packaging vendors also help create innovative solutions. Growth of medical tourism and self-administration of drugs are opening newer applications for convenience packaging formats.

Market Drivers:

Rising demand for pharmaceutical drugs: As populations grow and age globally, the incidence of chronic and long-term diseases is increasing rapidly. This has placed immense pressure on healthcare systems and boosted demand for pharmaceuticals dramatically. Advanced medical treatments and newer targeted drug therapies are also expand the need for specialized drug delivery and packaging solutions.

The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated the growth trajectory of this industry. As governments ramped up productions of vaccines and therapeutics to fight the virus, pharmaceutical packaging emerged as a critical link in the supply chain. Multiple doses were required for vaccinating billions which necessitated safe, compliant, and efficient packaging at massive scale. Complex cold chain requirements for Messenger RNA vaccines also highlighted the capabilities needed for temperature-controlled packaging, transportation and storage. According to data provided by the United Nations Children's Fund, over 17 Bn doses of COVID-19 vaccines were shipped globally between December 2020 to January 2022 requiring specialized vials, syringes, labels, and cold chain packaging material.

Growing preference for convenient packaging solutions: Growing preference for convenient packaging solutions is one of the major factors driving the growth of the market. With rapid urbanization and busier lifestyles, consumers are opting for packaging which provide ease and convenience of consuming medications quickly and on the go. Pharmaceutical companies are recognizing this growing preference and are increasingly offering medications and prescriptions in easy to use, lightweight, and portable secondary packaging such as blister packs, strip packs, vials, and pouches. This has witnessed huge demand especially for therapeutic drugs that is used for chronic conditions which requires frequent dosage intake.

The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated this trend as public health agencies and authorities push for pharmaceutical packaging which enables convenient compliance of medication routine for homecare of patients. As home delivery of medicines became the norm during the lockdowns, packaging play an important role in maintaining effectiveness of drugs and ease of self-administration by patients. Blister packs coupled with educational inserts emerged as popular choice for dispensing COVID-19 treatment drugs.

Market Opportunities:

Advancements in packaging technologies: Advancements in packaging technologies present a great opportunity for growthof this market. Pharmaceutical packaging plays a crucial role in protecting drug stability, safety, and maintains product quality from the point of manufacture to the point of use. With growing healthcare needs and rising chronic and non-communicable diseases worldwide, pharmaceutical production and consumption is increasing steadily. This escalating demand puts tremendous pressure on effective and sustainable packaging solutions. New technological innovations are helping overcome key challenges and meeting stringent regulations. For example, active and intelligent packaging incorporated with sensors, monitors, and indicators are revolutionizing the cold chain and ensuring temperature control during transport. Features like time-temperature indicators helps pharmaceutical companies and supply chain players track the exposure history of drugs and bioavailability in real-time. This vastly improves therapeutic effectiveness while reducing waste. Advance tracking also strengthens supply chain integrity and security especially for sensitive products like vaccines.

Sustainable and eco-friendly packaging is another area witnessing rapid progress. Growing environmental consciousness is pushing manufacturers to develop materials that minimize plastic usage and have lower carbon footprint. Bio-degradable polymers and paper-based pharmaceutical bags are gaining popularity.                                     

Focus on alternate packaging materials: Focus on alternate packaging materials could unlock significant opportunities in this market. With growing concerns around plastic waste and sustainability, pharmaceutical manufacturers are under increasing pressure to adopt greener packaging solutions. Alternative materials like paper, glass, renewable plastics, and others allow companies to differentiate their brands being environmentally responsible. Many countries and regulatory agencies are also implementing stringent norms around single-use plastics.

In 2022, according to a report by the United Nations Environment Programme, over 50 bans and levies have been instituted globally on single-use plastics between 2021 and 2022. Major pharmaceutical packaging consuming countries like the U.S., U.K., Germany and China have also committed to eliminate avoidable plastic waste by 2030 under the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's New Plastics Economy Global Commitment. With growing government support for greener options and conscious customers preferring brands with sustainable attributes, focus on alternate packaging materials can help pharmaceutical companies’ future-proof their businesses and drive long term growth in the sector.

Market Trends:

Sustainability and eco-friendly packaging: The pharmaceutical packaging industry is increasingly focusing on sustainability and eco-friendly packaging in response to growing environmental concerns worldwide. With health care waste and plastic pollution emerging as major problems, pharmaceutical companies are under pressure to reduce the environmental impact of their packaging solutions. Many countries have introduced regulations mandating the use of sustainable materials for drug packaging. These stringent norms are prompting brands to evaluate greener alternatives and optimize packaging designs for improved recyclability and reuse.

Sustainable packaging starts with minimizing the usage of materials during production. drug makers are developing innovative package formats using less plastic through light-weighting, concentrated doses and optimized canister sizes. These are also leveraging recyclable materials like recycled Polyethylene terephthalate, bio-plastics and aluminium to manufacture primary packages. For instance, in 2021, according to a survey by the European Medicines Agency, over 20% of medicine packages launched in 2021 contained post-consumer recycled plastic. Switching to renewable/recycled resins and fibres can help drug brands lower carbon footprint and gain a marketing advantage.

Move towards personalized and specialized packaging: This market is witnessing significant growth due to the rising trend of personalized and specialized packaging. Pharmaceutical companies are offering customized packaging solutions that are tailored to specific medical conditions and needs of the patient. This has become possible due to advancements in digital printing and flexible packaging technologies. Customized pharmaceutical packages can offer easier dosing and consumption for patients. For example, pre-filled syringes or auto-injectors packaged in user-friendly formats are helping patients with limited mobility or those requiring emergency medication. Such specialized designs minimize human errors and improve treatment outcomes.

Personalized packaging allows providing patients with motivational messages, dosage schedules or medication side effects in their preferred language. This ensures high treatment adherence. For example, some pharmaceutical manufacturers are printing contents in Braille to aid visually impaired patients. Special features like sensors, radio-frequency identification tags, and others are also being incorporated in packages to track expiration dates, dosage history, and reorder vaccines automatically. This ultimately enhances accessibility to medications.

Market Restraints:

High costs associated with packaging: The high costs associated with packaging are one of the major factors restraining the growth of this market. Developing sophisticated and innovative packaging solutions for pharmaceutical products requires extensive research and development (R&D) which leads to increased packaging costs. This is a major challenge for pharmaceutical manufacturers especially in emerging markets and developing countries where the demand for affordable healthcare is rising.

Pharmaceutical packaging needs to meet stringent regulatory requirements in terms of safety, security, and prevention of counterfeiting. This mandates the use of specialized packaging materials, high-quality printing, unique serialization and tracking solutions which make the packaging process capital intensive. Manufacturers have to invest heavily in packaging machinery, equipment, and technologies to integrate advanced package design and provide tamper evidence features. The costs further escalate if the packaging solution is customized based on product dosage, storage conditions, and region-specific guidelines. All these factors raise the packaging expenditure percentage significantly in the overall cost of drug development and commercialization.

This restrains the worldwide adoption of advanced packaging technologies and affects the overall revenue generation potentials of the pharmaceutical packaging market. The industry players need to focus more on value engineering and optimization strategies to reduce costs without compromising on safety, efficacy, and regulatory compliances. This will ensure sustainable market growth in the long run.

Environmental concerns regarding packaging waste: Environmental concerns regarding packaging waste is posing a significant challenge for the growth of this market. There is a growing push from various stakeholders including governments, environmental groups and general public to reduce the packaging waste generated from pharmaceutical products. This is mainly because pharmaceutical packaging waste constitutes a large chunk of non-biodegradable plastics and other materials that end up in landfills for a very long period of time. Pharmaceutical packaging materials like plastic bottles, aluminum foil backing paper, and laminated pouches are not easily recyclable or degradable. Once these are disposed as waste, they persist in the environment for hundreds of years. According to United Nations Environment Programme, plastic waste from pharmaceutical industry accounts for over 5% of total plastic waste generated globally each year.

In response to such concerns, many regulatory bodies are increasingly emphasizing on reusable, recyclable and sustainable packaging solutions. Similarly, governments in countries like India, Brazil and South Africa have implemented strict regulations regarding packaging waste disposal and extended producer responsibility. This is compelling pharmaceutical companies to reinvent their packaging designs, use eco-friendly materials and invest in technologies to make packaging fully recyclable. While these changes are necessary from environmental perspective, these do increase compliance burden and costs for pharmaceutical packaging manufacturers in short term.

Counterbalance: To overcome this restraint, the key market players need to follow all environmental concerns regarding packaging waste and government rules and regulations, which might increase the growth of the market.

Recent Developments:

New Product launches:

• In November 2023, Amcor Plc., a global company that is known for its development and production of environmentally conscious packaging solutions, announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with NOVA Chemicals Corporate, a leading producer of sustainable polyethylene. The agreement includes the procurement of mechanically recycled polyethylene resin (rPE) from NOVA Chemicals Corporate, which will be utilized in the production of flexible packaging films. This initiative aligns with Amcor Plc.'s dedication to promoting packaging circularity by increasing the utilization of rPE in flexible packaging applications. Amcor plc is a global packaging company that develops and produces flexible packaging, rigid containers, specialty cartons, closures, and services for various industries, including food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and medical devices.
• In July 2023, Constantia Flexibles introduced a new pharmaceutical packaging solution called REGULA CIRC that utilizes coldform foil. The packaging replaces conventional Polyvinyl chloride and polyethylene sealing layer, resulting in a reduction in plastic content while increasing the proportion of aluminum. This optimization not only enhances the sustainability of the packaging but also improves material recovery during recycling processes.
• In April 2023, Südpack introduced its PharmaGuard blister, a polypropylene-based blister packaging. This new product offers an outstanding water vapor barrier along with effective barrier resistance against Ultraviolet and oxygen. Südpack is a leading manufacturer of high-performance films for the packaging of food, non-food and medical products and for use in technical applications.

Mergers and Acquisition:

• In July 2022, Becton Dickinson and Company acquired Parata Systems. Parata System advances Becton Dickinson and Company’s transformative solutions strategy by providing a portfolio of innovative pharmacy automation solutions that power a growing network of pharmacies to reduce costs, enhance patient safety and improve the patient experience for retail, hospital and long-term care pharmacies. Becton, Dickinson and Company is a global medical technology company that manufactures and sells medical devices, instrument systems, and reagents.

  Figure 2. Pharmaceutical Packaging Market Share (%), By Material, 2023

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Top Companies in the Global Pharmaceutical Packaging Market

• Amcor plc.
• Berry Plastics Corporation
• MeadWestvaco Corporation
• Becton Dickinson and Company
• Owens-Illinois Inc.
• West Pharmaceuticals Services Inc.
• Schott Pharmaceuticals Services Inc.
• RPC Group Plc.
• Graphic Packaging International Inc.

*Definition: The pharmaceutical packaging is the packages and the packaging processes for pharmaceutical preparations. It involves all of the operations from production through drug distribution channels to the end consumer.