Panel Discussion: Balancing cost, innovation and sustainability in pharma packaging

As the pharma industry continues to evolve, pharma packaging industry too has made great strides towards progress. Moving away from its traditional roles, packaging is being utilised to ensure sustainability, value-based care and patient-centric medicine. However, the sector needs to keep reinventing itself to meet the changing dynamics of the pharma industry. Therefore, in the first panel discussion on the second day of PPL Conclave 2022, a panel of experts and leaders shared their insights and views on ‘Balancing cost, innovation and sustainability in pharma packaging’.

The panelists for this session were Avinash Kumar Talwar, VP – MRO & Pkg. Material Sourcing (Strategic & Plant), Global Supply Chain Management, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (Moderator); Giacomo Rinaldi, MD, Uhlmann Singapore; Prabir Das, Packaging Expert; Tripti Nakhare, AVP –RA &PDD, FDC; Manjunath Nadella, GM & Head – Packaging Development, Strides; and Hari Chittampally, DGM, Packaging Material – Purchase, Aurobindo Pharma.

As the discussion progressed, the panelists spoke on the importance of being more sustainable in the long run to contribute towards a healthier world and showcased why it is vital for the life sciences industry to be more conscious about sustainability as guardians of the world’s health. They also touched upon the challenges in balancing costs with innovation in a world which is seeking high value treatments and spoke on approaches to align care with patient-centricity through packaging innovations. They rooted for systemic changes, use of novel packaging material, incremental innovation that focuses on usability, robust formulations to simplify packaging designs and a collaborative ecosystem in the pharma sector to spur meaningful innovations and changes while controlling costs.

The panelists also cited some case studies and instances to back their views and insights which helped the audience gain a better understanding of the issues under discussion. The discussion accentuated how pharma packaging has to keep evolving to keep pace with the changing demands of healthcare.