Pharma Packaging An Evolving Sphere

Pharma companies are looking at newer methods and approaches to minimise packaging costs while addressing important goals like enhancing patient compliance

- Usha Sharma

The Indian pharma market is expected togrow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 18 per cent by 2020, driven by an ageing and growing population, rising income levels, emergin g medical conditions and new diseases, etc., as per Market Research Report. And, as packaging plays a crucial role in this industry and is a connector between the industry and the end consumer, it will have a bigger role to play in times to come. Global pharma packaging market is expected to reach $104,882 million by 2022 from $68,749 million in 2015, growing at a CAGR of 6.27 per cent from 2016 to 2022, according to the report.

So, what are the major disruptors in this arena and what are their impact? Let's examine

Growing therapeutic areas

Well, as per the information available in the public domain, oncology, central nervous system (CNS) disorders and infectious diseases are the top three therapeutic areas. According to GBI research, almost 7,000 new cancer products are in the pipeline, nearly double the respective totals of CNS and infectious disease products currently lined up.

Chandiprasad Ravipati, Head-Packaging, Aurobindo Pharma shares, “Highest number of anti-cancer drugs are in pipeline across the developed countries almost twice in recent years, both in innovator (branded) and in the generic sector, accounting about 30 per cent of total R&D on new molecules. Highest R&D expenditure is on this segment with assurance of high returns.”

Santanu Chowdhury, Sr GM-Packaging Development, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries too opines similar. He says, “Pharma companies are focussing on oncology and biosimilar products, probably they consider that these areas deserve focus owing to its formulation complexity and potent characteristics. Thus, we are also seeing a lot of progress in the packaging of the drugs in this segment.”