The pharmaceutical industries are changing at an unparalleled rate. New treatments for cancer, paired with a dramatic rise of largely spread diseases such as diabetes, call for updated processing and packaging strategies
to accommodate the different needs all over the world. Stay aware of these main packaging trends for 2020 for the global pharmaceutical market.
1. Production rate + flexibility = success!
While the need for everyday products such as pain killers and prescription drugs like antibiotics is increasing in the pharma markets, advanced methods are surfacing in many manufacturing savvy countries thanks to more complex substances. Changes are occurring in the arena of biological therapies — for example, the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases, as well as rare illnesses that only affect a very small group of patients.
2. Self-medication is servicing the masses!
Self-injection devices, such as syringes, are frequently being replaced by advanced automated injectors and groundbreaking insulin pens. This development also comes from the fact that self-injectable medicines are no longer used only for diabetes treatments but hepatitis, autoimmune deficiencies, cancers, respiratory disorders, hormone therapies such as fertility treatments or emergency revival drugs. The quickly evolving market demands that drug manufacturers be highly flexible and adapt their approach for this new generation of medicinal dispersion.
3. Better safe than sorry.
For self-medicating services in the form of injectable drugs, ease and safeguarding the handling of the syringes and auto-injectors is the most important element. Insulin manufacturers are particular attentive to material quality due to the importance of safety; all manufacturers of such material must pay attention to sterile filling and material quality to ensure the highest product safety.
4. Digital pharma, serialization and the future.
Another important element is serialization. Laws and restrictions have recently been enforced all over the globe to protect consumers from the threats of shady or counterfeit medications. At the same time, serialization can also be viewed as the first step towards digitization in the pharmaceutical industry. Manufacturers and contract packers are facing the challenge of selecting and implementing appropriate serialization technologies and connecting them with their production and packaging processes already in place. The safest method consists in a scalable machine and software concept that can easily be adapted to regulatory changes worldwide.
5. Digital services help optimize processes.
This is wholly what digitization is about: creating the best machines and services more efficiently, global data availability, and process optimizations, transparency and more efficient methods. The first step consists in visualizing the existing data, for instance on overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), plant status, processes, or important events like alarms or downtimes simply and in real time. An organizations ability address issues in production, packaging tactics and consumer needs cannot only become detrimental the production facility but also the end user. Digital services and monitoring are critical in optimal product and packaging output.