Exploring Pharmaceutical Packaging’s Top 2020 Trends

Over the last decade, the pharmaceutical packaging landscape has begun to change at an accelerated pace in order to keep up with the unprecedented growth in the global demand for safe, more affordable medicines.

Market analysts predict that the pharmaceutical industry is set to increase its value to $1.5 trillion by 20231. Keeping pace, the proportionate growth of the pharmaceutical packaging sector is being driven by several new trends across the pharmaceutical and healthcare market, as well as the forces driving pharma’s commercial interests and the increasing importance being placed on patient-centric products.

The introduction of new technologies has paved the way for companies to explore more innovative solutions to this market demand, as well as discover new ways to improve their operations and drive efficiencies across the supply chain. In this article with International Pharmaceutical Industry, Marcelo Cruz, Director Business Development and Marketing at Tjoapack discusses the current market landscape and the key benefits of building strategic partnerships with specialised contract packaging organisations (CPOs). Injectable and Self-drug Delivery One key area of growth for the pharma and biopharma market has been parenteral drug delivery and new ways for patients to self-administer these dosage forms. Market analysts project the injectable drug delivery market to grow in value from $362.4 billion in 2016 to $624.5 billion by 20212. This growth has further propelled market demand for suitable packaging solutions to protect the products from point of manufacture to patient.

The major factors responsible for driving growth in this market are the increasing use of biologics, the prevalence of chronic diseases and effective treatment options available via parenteral delivery, and the need to increase both the effectiveness and safety of parenteral therapeutics to enable safe delivery in a non-clinical environment. These factors have increased the demand for devices such as safety syringes, pre-filled syringes, and autoinjectors and, as a result, contract packaging organisations who can manage the complexity required by these products.

Pre-filled Parenteral Administration on the Rise Recent reports projected the global prefilled syringes market to reach $10.57 billion by 2027, climbing at a compound annual growth rate of 10.5% during the forecast period3 .

The rising shift towards using prefilled syringes to deliver biologics and biosimilars will continue to drive market demand, particularly as these therapeutics are explored in response to the current pandemic. In addition, the already proven application of biologics in targeting diseases with limited treatment options such as some types of cancer, autoimmune diseases, and other non-communicable diseases, will increase demand further. Packaging Capabilities and Expert Support Traditionally, packaging has been seen as an extension of manufacturing operations and as such, many contract development and manufacturing organisations (CDMOs) have integrated packaging operations that allow them to provide end-to-end manufacturing and commercialisation solutions for their customers. However, with high demand and more complex products entering the drug pipeline, companies are not only struggling with capacity, but are also increasingly seeking the specialised packaging capabilities and dedicated capacity that can only be provided by experienced contract packaging organisations (CPOs).

CPOs are taking a more prominent role in the pharmaceutical supply chain as the demand for economic, efficient packaging services which can be tailored based on product requirements continues to grow. Grand View Research projects the global pharmaceutical packaging market to reach $188.79 billion by 2027 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5% over the forecast period4 .

In addition, the increasing demand for patient-centric medicines and personalised therapeutic modalities will further augment the demand for advanced, flexible pharmaceutical packaging solutions and services for decades to come. Specialised Packaging Partners: Prepared for Performance CPOs, by their nature, have operations entirely focused on delivering this critical step in the drug supply chain. Their indepth knowledge of market requirements and the ability to tailor solutions to meet market and customer-specific needs mean that CPOs can add increasing value over a product’s entire life cycle.

Whether drug products are distributed in vials, combination devices or in complex personal medicine kits, the demand for experienced CPOs ability to tackle these requirements and adopt a solution-focused approach to overcome potential product packaging challenges is high. As with the contract services industry in general, CPOs are evolving from transactional service providers to more strategic and integrated commercial partners. Value Chain Expander, Supply Chain Connector Within the context of global regulatory compliance, packaging plays a critical role in connecting the final links in the pharmaceutical supply chain. With an exclusive focus on packaging’s value chain, CPOs can now provide more strategic support well beyond the traditional primary and secondary packaging operations. Dedicated CPOs offer a broader range of services, ranging from primary packaging, quality assurance and complex assembly, to global cold-chain custody logistics and international regulatory support. As such, the role of packaging in pharma is expanding to cover the entire packaging value chain, and its role in serving pharma’s strategic and patient interests will therefore continue to evolve. Postponement Packaging Driving Complexity Along with adapting to increasingly complex packaging requirements, as the

last production step before a product starts it final journey to market, CPOs are also well placed to help develop solutions to supply chain inefficiencies. For example, the concept of postponement packaging is being explored to reduce forecasting inaccuracies and the resulting repackaging work required.

In traditional packaging, a CPO provides bulk packaging services, ensuring large volumes of pharmaceutical product is primary and secondary packed ready for a specific market. The product is then shipped to the country it is intended for, and likely stored in a warehouse until it is needed. Whilst widely adopted, this approach can be wasteful. Volatile demand can either stall distribution and as a result, generate high inventory costs often across multiple locations, or mean extensive repackaging work is required to make supply intended for one market suitable for another.

In recent years, companies have started exploring the idea of late-stage customisation or postponement packaging. Essentially blank product components such as the blister packs, boxes and leaflets are produced and stored in a central warehouse. When demand arises, products can be customised, for example with local language requirements, and then shipped to a specific market. Within well-ordered postponement operations, a product can usually be shipped within hours of receiving the order. Postponement packaging has huge potential to improve supply chain efficiency and reduce waste and ultimately costs. Given the variety of regulations, the advent of serialisation and languages across international boundaries, postponement is becoming an attractive option for companies. However, with so many different shapes, sizes and formats for medicines, it can be a complex process to implement postponement strategies across global supply chains, making strategic partnerships with CPOs capable of delivering this service a logical alternative.

The Benefits of Staying Ahead of the Curve Postponement packaging has huge potential to help pharma transform the way that healthcare is delivered to patients. Personalised, patient-specific packaging is coming, and postponement could allow companies to quickly and efficiently respond to very specific needs. Furthermore, drug products could potentially eventually even be delivered direct to the patient, ultimately streamlining the supply chain.

Companies who take a proactive approach to developing their packaging solutions with third-party providers and incorporate new approaches into their operations will inevitably find themselves in a better position when these new digital processes become more widely adopted. It is important that the industry continues to drive these developments forward in order to fully realise the broader impact on supply chain management. Final Thought Engaging with competent CPOs as strategic outsourcing partners can allow companies to reap the benefits associated with years of packaging expertise when it comes to catering for more complex products. As the demand for parenteral delivery and self-administered medication continues to rise, particularly given the restrictions imposed by COVID-19, these relationships will become even more important when developing fit-for-purpose solutions.

Access to this level of expertise, along with new approaches to supply chain management such as postponement packaging, will inevitably allow pharma and biopharma companies alike to ensure safe and steady supply, improve efficiencies by reducing costs and waste and ultimately reduce the rising cost of healthcare for the end user. REFERENCES

1. https://pharmaceuticalcommerce.com/businessand-finance/global-pharma-spending-will-hit1-5-trillion-in-2023-says-iqvia/ 2. https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/MarketReports/injectable-drug-delivery-market-150. html 3. https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/ industry-reports/prefilled-syringes-market101946 4. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/pressrelease/global-pharmaceutical-packagingmarket

Marcelo Cruz

Marcelo Cruz is Director Business Development and Marketing at Tjoapack. With over a decade of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, and over 15 years of driving global strategic sales, marketing, business and product development, Marcelo is responsible for strategy and organic growth activities at Tjoapack. In his role, he also leads the development and implementation of inbound and outbound marketing strategies to accelerate lead generation and drive the wider commercial strategy for the business.