Freedonia Releases Study on World Pharmaceutical Packaging
World demand for primary pharmaceutical containers will increase 6.1 percent annually through 2013 to $38.2 billion. Prefillable inhalers and prefillable syringes will generate the fastest growth opportunities among all pharmaceutical packaging products based on performance advantages in drug delivery and the introduction of new bioengineered medicines. Plastic bottles will sustain the largest share of global demand based on low cost, versatility, availability, and ongoing quality and design improvements. Pharmaceutical blister packaging will generate favorable growth in global demand based on adaptability to unit dose, clinical trial, compliance, institutional and over-the-counter drugs. Equipment upgrades, coupled with trends favoring unit dose packaging, will also boost demand for pouches and strip packs. Parenteral vials and ampuls and, to a lesser extent, IV containers will fare well in the global marketplace as new injectable therapies based on biotechnology and other advanced disciplines reach the commercial stage. By contrast, world demand for medication tubes and glass bottles and jars will expand at a below average pace due to competition from alternative containers.