Panel Discussion: Trends and advancements in pharma packaging

Pharma packaging landscape has undergone a lot of transformations in the past few years and is constantly advancing. Market reports inform that the pharma packaging industry has registered a growth rate of over five per cent CAGR in the past few years. Therefore, the last panel discussion at PPL Conclave 2019 examined and explored the trends and advancements in the the growing sphere of pharma packaging. They highlighted the growing importance of pharma packaging and pointed out that products are only as good as their packaging because the responsibility of protecting the product and its efficacy, safeguarding its shelf-life, ensuring more patient convenience and thereby their adherence to the medicine and more rests with packaging.

An eminent panel comprising Daara Patel, Secretary General, IDMA; Barun Dey, Director Packaging Development, DRL; Sourav Mitra, VP- Global Packaging Strategy, Mylan Laboratories; Soumyanath Mishra, Head & DGM, Packaging Development – F&D, Mankind Research Centre; and Atul Mulay, GM-Packaging Development, Cadila Pharma discussed on the various growth drivers in pharma packaging such as product protection, quality, tamper evidence, patient comfort and security, safety of products etc.

The panelists reviewed the recent pharma packaging trends and innovations such as blow fill seal (BFS) vials, anti-counterfeit measures, coating technologies, child-resistant packs, senior packaging etc. They also examined how these innovations are India-centric in terms of cost, feasibility and need. For e.g., they emphasised that packaging is a very powerful weapon in the battle against counterfeiting. At the same time the panelists accentuated how sustainablility and profitability should both be considered equally important while designing packaging solutions. It will be very crucial in the long run.

Experts on the panel also showcased that packaging has a very multifaceted role in the pharma sector. Hence, packaging teams need to be part of product development so that efficacy and effectiveness of the product can be enhanced and better maintained. They advocated that packaging teams should collaborate with other teams such as sourcing and supply chain teams to devise and design packaging solutions which will serve the current and future needs of the pharma sector effectively.

They also highlighted that packaging has immense potential to transform healthcare delivery and unanimously believe that patient specific packaging, catering to individual patient’s need could be the future. The panelists ended the discussion by urging their colleagues and contemporaries to be early adopters of the advancements to gain a competitive edge in the industry.

Packaging has a very multifaceted role in the pharma sector. Nowadays, a product is only as good as your packaging

Daara Patel, Secretary General, IDMA (Moderator)

Packaging is a very powerful weapon in the battle against counterfeiting and in making consumers more empowered. Technologies like track and trace can help curb this menace

Atul Mulay, GM-Packaging Development, Cadila Pharma

Sustainablility and profitability should both be considered equally important while designing packaging solutions. It will be very crucial in the long run

Barun Dey, Director Packaging Development, DRL

Always do a comparative study of your packaging solutions with those adopted by your competitors. This way you can keep improving your solutions and optimising it for efficacy and cost-effectiveness

Sourav Mitra, VP- Global Packaging Strategy, Mylan Laboratories

We must develop India-centric pharma packaging solutions for best effects. The needs of our industry could be different from those of other markets

Soumyanath Mishra, Head & DGM, Packaging Development – F&D, Mankind Research Centre