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Medtech Business Review | Thursday, August 29, 2024
Pharmaceutical packaging trends include serialization and track-and-trace, sustainability, patient participation, reduced production quantities, improvements in packaging machinery/automation, and combination devices for medicine delivery.
Fremont, CA: Packaging that facilitates patient dosing, drug compliance, and the entire self-treatment experience will become increasingly common in the future. Here are the major trends driving the drug packaging firm:
Serialization and Track-and-Trace
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European Union (EU) guidelines mandating pharmaceutical serialization, which went into effect in February 2019, and the United States Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA), whose implementation deadlines extend until late 2023, will propel serialization and track-and-trace efforts aimed at pharmaceutical traceability and authenticity.
Sustainability
Pharmaceutical packaging developers, like the pharmaceutical sector, focus increasingly on sustainability. Recyclable and biodegradable packaging materials, lifecycle studies and carbon footprint reduction are likely to play a role. One plausible option is in-store recycling, where patients return spent inhalers and other medical devices to the drugstore.
Patient Engagement
Patients will be more engaged with packaging that makes dosing, drug compliance, and the whole treatment process easier. Auto-injectors, prefilled syringes, and intelligent packaging are just a few examples. Consumer beta testing is anticipated to occur to aid in the development of patient-friendly products and devices.
Smaller Productions Lots
The continued development of biologics and other tailored medications will result in smaller production quantities, increasing demand for packaging gear for specific lot sizes. Earlier this year, Packaging Digest reported that a packaging machinery provider and a German university collaborated on a pilot project with the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) to digitize the production, filling, and packaging of individualized cell and gene therapies.
Innovation in Packaging Machinery/Automation
Pharmaceutical packaging equipment is predicted to rely increasingly on robotics and 3D printing. The latter suits rapid prototyping and the modest production lots mentioned before. The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) and advanced technologies will also significantly impact pharmaceutical packaging automation.
Combination Devices for the Delivery of Medication
Dual-chamber devices that make it easier for patients to follow multi-drug regimes should see strong demand in the future. Devices that can deliver two injectable drugs simultaneously, for example, will gain popularity as combination therapies become more common, particularly in cancer therapy.
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