Demand for pharmaceutical packaging in the US (including Puerto Rico) will increase 5.5 percent annually to $16 billion in 2012.  Regulations and standards that address such issues as barrier protection, infection control, patient drug compliance, drug dispensing errors and drug counterfeiting will lead gains.  An increased focus on these issues will result in strong growth for high value-added container accessories, especially parenteral vials and flip-top closures, plastic dispensing bottles and closures, prefillable inhalers, prefillable syringes and related closures, rubber and elastomeric parenteral stoppers, track and trace and authentication labels, and unit dose pouches. These and other trends, including market share and company profiles, are presented in Pharmaceutical Packaging, a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry research firm.

Demand for primary pharmaceutical containers will increase 5.2 percent annually to $9.6 billion in 2012.  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. 

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.  Pharmaceutical blister packaging will sustain favorable 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.

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.