Worldwide demand for pharmaceutical packaging is projected to increase 5.5 percent annually to $62 billion in 2015. Reflecting the operation of extensive and diverse drug-producing industries, the developed countries of Western Europe, the US and Japan will account for nearly 70 percent of demand. However, China will provide faster growth opportunities based on rapidly expanding pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities and the phasing-in of an extensive government program to improve nationally produced medicines. Among other major developing economies, India and Brazil will also evolve into fast-growing pharmaceutical packaging markets as drug-producing sectors are upgraded and diversified, especially in the area of generic ethical drugs. The US will remain the largest consumer of pharmaceutical packaging as its advanced drug-producing sector introduces new sophisticated therapies with specialized packaging needs. Growth in West European demand will reflect upgraded government standards requiring unit dose, high barrier and anti-counterfeit packaging for many types of medication. Based on its broad range of proprietary and generic drug producers, Japan will remain a large, diverse consumer of pharmaceutical containers, closures and related accessories. However, the country will provide below average growth opportunities as drug makers pursue greater packaging efficiencies to offset downward pressures on medication prices. World demand for primary pharmaceutical containers will increase 5.6 percent annually to nearly $39 billion in 2015. The fastest growth is anticipated for prefillable syringes and vials, which will expand applications as advances in biotechnology lead to the introduction of new therapies that must be injected. In spite of below average growth, 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. Plastic bottles will also continue to dominate applications in OTC medicines sold in tablet and capsule quantities of 50 or more. Blister packaging will comprise the secondlargest selling group of primary pharmaceutical containers due to its adaptability to unit dose and clinical trial formats with expanded label content, high visibility, and built-in track and trace features. The global market for pharmaceutical pouches will expand at a below average pace as applications remain limited to the unit dose packaging of transdermal, powder and topical medicines. Prefillable inhalers will realize stronger growth opportunities as the worldwide 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. However, competition from plastic dispensing bottles and unit dose pouches will moderate overall growth in demand. The market for glass pharmaceutical bottles will expand slowly at best as plastic bottles and blister packs continue to capture applications. Uses in the packaging of premixed drugs will underlie average growth for IV containers. Strip packs and paperboard boxes will account for the largest global demand among other primary pharmaceutical containers based on adaptability to economical unit dose formats.
