Balancing Innovation with Integrity in Pharma Packaging
As pharmaceutical packaging evolves to incorporate more patient-centric designs, overcome increasingly complex formulations, and undergo a digital transformation, safety and compliance remain non-negotiables.
Pharmaceutical packaging solution providers need to consider a host of factors when developing potential solutions for the costly drug products to be housed within. Not only must packaging be secure and practical, but it must also account for the increasing need for greater flexibility and improved user convenience. Additionally, strict regulations, that can vary region-to-region and are continually evolving, add further complexities.
However, the pharmaceutical packaging market is buoyant and forecasted to grow at a compound annual rate of 6.16% between 2025 and 2032 (1). Driven by an array of global trends and evolving patient needs, the pharmaceutical packaging landscape is expected to undergo a significant transformation.
Key Trends Shaping Packaging
“The pharmaceutical packaging industry is evolving rapidly, shaped by key macro trends,” remarks Chris Gilmor, VP Sales, Sanner of America. “Sustainability remains a top priority, with growing demand for recyclable and eco-friendly materials. Smart and connected packaging, enabled by IoT [internet of things], is improving traceability and patient adherence.”
As a result of the increasing prevalence of e-commerce and direct-to-patient models within the industry, there has been a notable rise in demand for packaging that is both convenient and secure, while also being able to support remote delivery, Gilmor continues. “Personalized medicine is creating a shift toward small-batch production, requiring greater packaging flexibility and the ability to incorporate unique features,” he says.
“The pharmaceutical packaging market continues to be driven by solid oral dosage forms, so bottles and blister packs remain core formats for many products,” notes Scott Mills, Manager, Packaging, Adare Pharma Solutions. “However, evolving patient needs and formulation requirements are prompting growth in alternative packaging solutions.”
According to Pol Dilme, Logistics Manager for HIPRA Human Health at Central Integrated Merchandise (CIM) of La Selva, key trends for packaging include “the adoption of connected packaging technologies (like RFID [radio-frequency identification]), sustainable materials, integrated design and printing, and automated production to enhance speed, compliance, efficiency, and cold-chain integrity.” Furthermore, from a packaging provider perspective, being able to scale such integrated technologies to meet varying demand can be just as important as keeping pace with the novel technologies, he asserts.
Taking customer feedback into consideration, John Lowry, Chairman and CEO, Praxis Packaging Solutions, reveals that there has been “a clear rise in demand for contract packaging partners who not only offer capacity, but also demonstrate a strong commitment to quality and responsiveness.” Therefore, companies, such as Praxis, are responding to this demand by expanding facilities and increasing turnaround times to minimize disruptions to customers.
“The driving force of growth in pharmaceutical contract packaging is pharmaceutical companies and CDMOs focusing on what they do best (drug development and manufacturing) while outsourcing primary and secondary packaging to contract packaging experts,” emphasizes Raymond Sell, Senior Vice President, Business Development, Praxis Packaging Solutions.
Mills also points to patient-friendly dosage forms, including orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs), sprinkle formulations, and powders for reconstitution, as an influential trend for pharmaceutical packaging. “These formats improve ease of administration for patients who struggle with traditional tablets or require more flexible dosing options, but they often demand specialized packaging, whether through enhanced moisture barriers or designs that support portability,” he says. “Stick packs, in particular, have emerged as an ideal solution, enabling products that would otherwise be impractical in capsule form.”
A Driving Force for Change
“Patient-centricity is a driving force across the pharmaceutical value chain — from formulation to packaging — because user experience directly impacts treatment adherence and overall outcomes,” says Gilmor. “While attributes like taste, size, and swallowability of tablets and capsules are essential, packaging also plays a pivotal role in enhancing accessibility, usability, and appeal. Well-designed packaging can make products easier to open, handle, and dose — contributing to improved adherence and ultimately better health outcomes.”
Non-adherence to treatment regimens is linked to increased healthcare costs and preventable deaths, Gilmor adds. “Chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension are particularly sensitive to non-compliance, making reliable, user-friendly packaging a priority,” he says. “Research confirms that intuitive packaging designs can increase adherence, especially for over-the-counter (OTC) products, where competition is high and shelf appeal can influence consumer choices.”
Additionally, the broadening e-commerce sector is adding greater complexity, as packages need to withstand longer handling times, protect product integrity, while also remaining visually appealing to the end-user, Gilmor asserts.
“In many cases, patient-centric pharmaceutical packaging can involve aligning the packaging format closely with the dosage regimen,” continues Mills. “For example, blister packs can be configured in clear daily layouts, like a 3×7 design for a three-week course, which can help patients track adherence at a glance. This approach has long been used for products like oral contraceptives but is now being applied to a wider range of therapies.”
There are also packaging solutions that can help to simplify complex regimens for patients, such as titration packs that can be arranged with varying strengths in a logical sequence, Mills explains. Additionally, as mentioned earlier, “stick packs offer enhanced portability and convenience, making them a patient-friendly option for certain oral solid formulations,” he notes.
“Considerations for ease of opening, handling by users with limited dexterity (e.g., seniors or patients with arthritis), and controlled dispensing are critical,” stresses Gilmor. “Openings that are too narrow or wide can hinder proper dosing, and loose desiccants can create safety concerns.”
Furthermore, there have been various enhancements for safety that also balance user-friendliness, Mills highlights. “For example, child-resistant blister sleeves provide protection for children while still allowing older patients to open the package without undue difficulty,” he says.
“Innovations like NFC [near-field communication] and anti-counterfeiting solutions-enabled packaging can empower consumers to instantly verify product authenticity and connect consumers directly to rich digital content,” adds Sell. By using these types of smart packaging solutions, brands can deliver more personalized and supportive experiences to the end user and offer more interactive packaging that provides educational and safety information too, he emphasizes.
“Ultimately, patient-centric packaging is not only about regulatory compliance — it’s about understanding daily user behaviors and challenges, then designing packaging that supports ease, safety, and adherence across diverse patient populations,” states Gilmor.
Addressing Challenges of Modern Formulations
A well-reported trend shaping the bio/pharma industry in general is that of rising complexity of molecules in development. This trend is having a particular impact on packaging solutions.
“Many modern formulations are highly sensitive to environmental factors such as moisture, oxygen, and temperature. To address these challenges, some products may require active packaging technologies that go beyond passive protection,” Mills stresses.
“The increasing complexity and diversity of drug products — from classic oral tablets to complex biologics — introduces numerous pathways for chemical and physical degradation that can compromise drug integrity,” explains Gilmor. “Ensuring stability requires a deep understanding of these degradation mechanisms.”
Common degradation pathways for oral solid dose forms are hydrolysis and oxidation, whereas, for proteins and biologics, deamidation, aggregation, and denaturation pose additional risks, Gilmor emphasizes. “Packaging technologies must be tailored to mitigate these specific risks,” he says.
“Primary packaging — such as bottles, vials, or blisters made from plastic, glass, or metal — is the first line of defense and often sufficient to maintain the two-year shelf-life requirement,” Gilmor remarks. “When additional protection is needed, sorbent technologies are incorporated to manage moisture and oxygen.”
While sorbents were used as drop-in packets or canisters in the past, it is becoming more common for them to be integrated directly into primary packaging solutions, Gilmor points out. “This shift supports patient-centric design, reduces packaging complexity, and enhances stability, safeguarding both product efficacy and patient safety,” he states.
“For moisture-sensitive products, traditional solutions like barrier films and foils are being augmented by innovations such as absorbent seal-layer films in stick packs,” Mills continues. “These films actively remove residual moisture from within the package, helping to preserve product stability even under challenging conditions. Similar active approaches are used for oxygen-sensitive drugs, where oxygen scavengers can be integrated into primary packaging.”
It is possible to secure product stability from line setup to final packaging with environmental monitoring and climate controls, adds Carolyn Wright, DRSc, Vice President, Quality, Praxis Packaging Solutions. “Prioritizing quality through comprehensive onboarding and well-established quality system reduces the risk of product quality issues related to packaging operation environmental factors,” she states.
“For sensitive biologics and complex molecules, technologies like advanced barrier materials, high-performance container-closure systems, and robust cold-chain solutions are becoming essential,” Dilme confirms. Additionally, as various packaging solutions become more critical, it is also important to review where automation may be able to help, as this can assure quality and compliance, and increase speed, he notes.
Transforming Packaging through Digitalization
“Automation and digitalization are transforming pharmaceutical packaging by increasing throughput, reducing human error, and ensuring full regulatory traceability,” Dilme highlights. “Advanced vision inspection, robotic handling, and integrated MES/ERP [manufacturing execution system/enterprise resource planning] systems enable real-time process control and data capture. Now, these solutions and others are being adapted through AI [artificial intelligence]-driven solutions for predictive maintenance, visual inspection, line optimization, and faster, safer, and more flexible packaging operations.”
By integrating equipment with reporting systems, contract packaging providers can gain real-time insights into production floor activity, asserts Sell. Through these insights, it is possible to “predict challenges before they occur, fine-tune line performance, and uncover process improvements that drive long-term efficiency. This evolution is shifting operations from simply being responsive to becoming intelligent, predictive, and performance-optimized,” he says.
“Packaging solutions must be designed for seamless integration with existing equipment to enhance OEE [overall equipment effectiveness] and reduce costs,” adds Gilmor. While traditional approaches, such as desiccant packets and canisters, are still widely used, more integrated solutions, such as TabTec CR, can provide companies with significant added value, he points out.
“More than ever, automation is a standard feature of most pharmaceutical packaging lines, improving throughput, consistency, and quality control. Core assembly steps are highly automated, supported by advanced inspection systems such as vision-based fill count verification, check weighing, labeling accuracy checks, and serialization,” specifies Mills. “Increasingly, equipment suppliers are offering technologies like inline leak testing which can be integrated into automated lines.”
Global serialization requirements, which demand seamless data sharing across sites, lines, and partners, have been a major driver for the digitalization of packaging services, and have accelerated the adoption of interconnected systems, Mills comments. “While much of the industry has already implemented these systems, the next 5–10 years will likely result in continued refinement to the industry, bringing with it streamlined steps, improved system interoperability, and enhanced real-time data capture and analysis,” he says.
Safety and Compliance are Non-Negotiable
Digitalization is not confined to companies working within the bio/pharma industry but is also something that the regulatory bodies themselves must adopt in order to keep pace with new demands, specifies Dilme. “Regulatory agencies are updating guidelines for certain advancements, but a ‘hidden’ challenge is that the regulatory bodies themselves must innovate and digitalize,” he says.
“Regulatory bodies are actively adapting to advancements in pharmaceutical packaging, aiming to support innovation while maintaining safety, efficacy, and compliance,” comments Gilmor. For example, with digital packaging technologies, regulatory authorities, such as FDA and EMA, have created evolving frameworks that have a strong focus on data integrity and cybersecurity, he remarks.
“Additionally, regulators are emphasizing lifecycle and risk-based approaches, encouraging the application of Quality by Design and ICH Q9 principles when implementing packaging innovations. These evolving guidelines help ensure that cutting-edge packaging solutions can be safely and effectively brought to market,” Gilmor explains.
“When any new packaging innovation is developed, regulators will expect the same rigorous proof of safety, efficacy, and usability as they will for the drug product itself. This includes demonstrating accurate dosing, reliable operation, and clear patient instructions,” Mills notes. “New packaging technologies must also show they can integrate seamlessly into existing manufacturing and distribution processes without compromising product integrity.”
With all of the various changes being made to pharmaceutical packaging, safety and compliance remain non-negotiable, Gilmor asserts. “Packaging must continue to ensure tamper evidence, child resistance, and the protection of product stability and shelf life,” he summarizes. “Successful solutions will be those that balance innovation with the rigorous demands of pharmaceutical integrity and patient safety.”
Reference
Fortune Business Insights. Pharmaceutical Packaging Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis by Material (Plastic, Glass, Metals, Paper & Paperboard), by Product Type (Bottles, Caps & Closures, Pre-Fillable Inhalers, Pre-Fillable Syringes, Vials and Ampoules, Blister Packs, Bags and Pouches, Jars and Canisters, Cartridges), by Drug Delivery Mode (Injectable Packaging, Oral Drug Delivery Packaging, Topical Drug Delivery Packaging, Pulmonary Drug Delivery Packaging, Transdermal Drug Delivery Packaging, Ocular Drug and Nasal Drug Delivery Packaging), by Packaging Type (Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary), and Regional Forecast, 2025–2032. Market Research Report, Last Updated August 2025.
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