Pharmaceutical packaging industry encompasses all activities including package testing and validation, package designing, development, package prototyping and marketing of pharmaceutical products. The pharmaceutical packaging industry primarily deals with packaging, handling, distributing and storing of pharmaceutical products.
Functional divisions of pharmaceutical packaging industry
The overall activities of pharmaceutical packaging industry can be subdivided into three functional units, which are packaging materials, packaging types and finally marketing of packaged products. The materials normally used for packaging of pharmaceutical products are plastic resins, aluminum foil, glass, paper and paperboard, plastic film, converted foil etc.
- Pharmaceutical packaging industry segments: On the basis of packaging types, pharmaceutical packaging industry can be subdivided into different packaging segments, which are blisters, blow-molded plastics, ampules and vials, caps and closures, tubes and glass, bottles, pouches, strip packs, etc.
Blisters: It can be regarded as the most secured packaging type for drugs which are sensitive to moisture. Generally films are thermoformed, then filled and finally sealed with aluminum foil.
Market survey report on growth of pharmaceutical packaging industry
With the growth of modern technologies, the type and form of pharmaceutical packaging are changing rapidly. Drug packagers are trying to reduce the cost of packaging and consequently the industry is also rising. One market research conducted by FIND/SVP Inc. revealed that during 1993 to 1997, pharmaceutical packaging market annually grew by 4.9% from 1993 to 1997, and is expected to increase at a substantial rate in the coming years. The U.S. remains the leader in pharmaceutical packaging industry, followed by Japan and West Europe. Among various segments of pharmaceutical packages, Blisters remains the largest segment.
Global pharmaceutical packaging industry : Market surveys are showing that within 2011 pharmaceutical packaging industry is expected to grow by 5.9% per annum and is predicted to reach $34 billion mark withing 2011. Beside U.S., Western Europe and Japan, China is prospering towards achieving as one of the leading pharmaceutical packaging industries in the world. Some other very strong contending countries are India and Brazil.