The Freedonia Group (freedoniagroup.com) projects world demand for pharmaceutical packaging products to increase 6.5 percent annually to over $101 billion in 2019. Because of advanced and diverse drug-producing industries, almost 60 percent of global demand will exist in the developed economies of Canada, Japan, the US, and Western Europe. India and China will form the fastest growing markets due to rapidly expanding pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities and the adoption of more stringent regulations aimed at improving the quality and integrity of domestically produced medicines. Brazil, Mexico, Turkey, and various other countries of the Asia/Pacific, Central and South America, and Africa/Mideast regions are among developing markets that are expected to expand and diversify drug-producing industries and register above average gains in pharmaceutical packaging product demand.

US, Western Europe to remain largest markets

Over the long term, the US will continue to form the largest national pharmaceutical packaging product market as its advanced drug-producing sector commercializes new sophisticated therapies with specialized packaging needs. Demand in Western Europe will remain comparatively high and expand steadily due to the impact of new product introductions and upgraded government standards covering unit dose, high barrier, and anti-counterfeit packaging of many types of medicines. Based on broad contingents of proprietary and generic drug producers, Canada and Japan will continue to be large, diverse consumers of pharmaceutical packaging products. However, both countries will see below average growth in demand as drug makers pursue greater packaging efficiencies to offset medication pricing pressures.

Prefillable syringes, parenteral vials to lead gains

Global demand for primary pharmaceutical containers will expand 6.5 percent annually to more than $64 billion in 2019. Prefillable syringes and parenteral vials will see above average growth as new injectable therapies developed through biotechnology and other advanced life sciences are introduced into the marketplace. Based on uses in the bulk and prescription dose packaging of solid dose oral ethical drugs and the large quantity packaging of over-the-counter medicines and dietary supplements, plastic bottles will continue to record the largest demand globally among primary pharmaceutical containers, or $20.6 billion in 2019. Blister packaging will comprise the second largest selling group of primary pharmaceutical containers, based on adaptability to unit dose and clinical trial dosage formats with expanded label content, high visibility, and builtin track-and-trace features.

The world market for pharmaceutical pouches will grow at a below average pace as uses remain limited to the unit dose packaging of transdermal, powder, and topical medicines. Prefillable inhalers will exhibit faster demand gains as the number of chronic asthma, allergy, and migraine patients treated with inhalation drugs rises globally. Advances in aesthetic and barrier properties will keep tubes a leading container for topical medication. However, competition from plastic dispensing bottles and unit dose pouches will moderate overall revenue growth. The world market for glass pharmaceutical bottles will expand slowly at best as plastic bottles and blister packs capture oral drug applications.

Study coverage

This upcoming Freedonia industry study, World Pharmaceutical Packaging, is available for $6700. It presents historical demand data (2004, 2009 and 2014) plus forecasts (2019 and 2024) by product for 6 world regions and 16 major countries. The study also considers market environment factors, evaluates company market share and profiles 38 competitors in the worldwide industry.