US Pharmaceutical Packaging Demand to Reach $18.5 Billion in 2014

Demand for pharmaceutical packaging in the US (including Puerto Rico) is forecast to increase 5.3 percent annually to $18.5 billion in 2014.  Recently upgraded regulations and standards that address such issues as barrier protection, infection control, patient drug compliance, drug dispensing errors, and drug diversion and counterfeiting will underlie growth.  An increased focus on these issues will boost demand for high value-added containers and accessories. These and other trends, including market share and product segmentation, are presented in Pharmaceutical Packaging, a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry market research firm.

Demand for primary pharmaceutical containers will increase 5.2 percent annually to $11.3 billion in 2014.  The fastest growth is anticipated for prefillable syringes, which will expand applications as advances in biotechnology lead to the introduction of new therapies that must be injected.  Plastic bottles will remain the most widely used package for oral drugs distributed in bulk and prescription dose volumes to retail and mail order pharmacies.  They will also continue to dominate applications in OTC medicines sold in tablet and capsule quantities of 50 or more.  Pharmaceutical blister packaging will derive growth based on its adaptability to unit dose formats with expanded label content, high visibility, and built-in track and trace features. The market for pharmaceutical pouches will expand at a fast pace, spurred by increasing applications in the unit dose packaging of transdermal patches, powders for reconstitution, and topical creams and ointments.  Prefillable inhalers will command strong growth opportunities as the number of chronic asthma, allergy and migraine patients treated with inhalation drugs rises.  Ongoing improvements in aesthetic and barrier properties will keep tubes a leading primary container for topical medication.

Pharmaceutical closures will comprise a $3 billion US market in 2014, up 5.5 percent annually from 2009.  Vial stoppers, syringe tips and plastic flip-top vial closures will command strong growth as injectable bioengineered drugs broaden emergency care and chronic disease indications.  Push-and-turn child-resistant caps will remain the top closures for oral and liquid drug containers, but will lose growth momentum as blister packs and pouches penetrate unit dose applications.  Due to trends toward smaller-sized pharmaceutical shipments, folding cartons will post faster growth in demand among drug makers than corrugated shipping boxes. 

The Freedonia Group is a leading international business research company, founded in 1985, that publishes more than 100 industry research studies annually. This industry analysis provides an unbiased outlook and a reliable assessment of an industry and includes product segmentation and demand forecasts, industry trends, demand history, threats and opportunities, competitive strategies, market share determinations and company profiles.