International players are looking at India as a market. They are looking for contract manufacturing joint venture as well as tie ups with Indian machinery manufacturers. While international companies are trying to enter India aggressively, local companies are also also gearing up to meet the competition. A few companies have started manufacturing high speed machineries and automation based machineries, he said.
The association has supported a Nigerian packaging expo and association members are also going to Nigeria for meeting different associations in West Africa. Similar meetings are being planned in Latin American market and other neighbouring countries.
The association is also planning to organize quality seminars for its members. Further it is planning to make a members directory on CD with search facility of product and services that would help it to circulate in international exhibitions and industry. He sought more government support and export benefits that would help the industry compete globally.
In order to promote the packaging industry, the association has launched a quarterly magazine related to pharmaceutical technology and packaging industry. The over all response is very good. Through this magazine, the association is trying to promote India pharma machinery and packaging industry in different countries, he added.
The great deal of interest evinced for economies-of-scale is a pointer to the fact that the novel technologies could adhere to stringent hygiene during drug packaging said members of the Karnataka Drugs and Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (KDPMA).
The Chennai - based Jumbo Bags Ltd. produces Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers (FIBC’s) commonly referred to as Jumbo Bags used for pharmaceuticals. This packaging, made of polypropylene,can hold huge capacities and has been replacing the cumbersome drums. The key features of easy-to-transport and less storage space are now in great demand, said pharma company officials from Micro Labs, Bal Pharma and Dr. Reddy’s.
There are also efforts to make use of nano particles for pharma packing. Even the herbal sector like Kottakal, Kerala Pharmacy and Himalaya have been replacing use of glass bottles with PET versions. The herbal industry is also viewing several latest ergonomically designed and safe packaging technologies to be on par with global standards, said the pharma consultant.
The demand for novel concepts is driving the growth of leading packaging companies in Karnataka like Rexam Pharma and Manjushree Technopack Ltd.
For Rexam Pharma, an Europe-based packaging technology major known for its novel drug delivery technology for ophthalmic, nasal and pulmonary segment, its Child Resistant Closure(CRC) have created a major impact on Indian pharma industry. The company is now going for infrastructure expansion in its clean room and line extensions for CRC in different sizes. The ophthalmic closures have also registered a quantum jump with Indian pharma preferring the same for regulated markets products. It will embark on a facility expansion in September which will be commissioned in the Q1 of 2012. The nasal closure adopted by Novartis has significantly grown with more demand.
Manjushree which is one of the pioneers in PET packaging for all sectors including pharma, is now seeing an increasing interest to use PET for liquids. TTK has gone on to replace glass bottle for its gripe water for infants with a PET jar made from the non – reactive material where its contents remain unchanged even if it comes in contact with the packaged material. The odourless, unbreakable PET bottles are cost-efficient for users.
The company specializes in providing PET bottles for pharma packaging right from 5ml upto 450ml in natural and amber colours . “We have customers across different segments like ayurveda, gripe water and expectorant eye drops including Pfizer, TTK, Dr. Reddy’s, Himalaya Group, Arya Vaidya Sala, Vaidyaratnam and many more”, said Vimal Kedia, Managing Director, Manjushree Technopack Ltd.
In the next five years, the pharmaceutical packaging market in developing countries is expected to expand significantly. By 2013, the global pharmaceutical packaging market size is expected to reach US $62.3 billion with Asia-Pacific showing the most robust growth. The reason for this positive regional shift can be attributed to the low costs and favourable regulatory environment.
The global pharmaceutical packaging industry has witnessed a robust growth in the last few years mainly on the strong demand for pharmaceuticals which is poised to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 6.5 per cent during the period 2011 to 2013, according to a research by RNCOS, a leading market research and information analysis company.
The growth also includes OTC drugs such as pain killers, syrups and food supplements which have witnessed a huge demand mainly due to the change in consumer attitude, increase in awareness levels, and easy accessibility of medicines. This phenomenal growth has pushed the industry in developing innovative packaging solutions with companies trying to influence consumer decision in regards to product quality, reliability as well as value. This is also applicable to the ayurvedic sector which has witnessed a change in its consumer demographics. With younger people opting for ayurvedic medicines,leading manufactures have turned towards new and trendy designs with easy dispensing and resealing capabilities.
Traditionally the requirements of packaging focused only on preserving the quality of enclosed medication. However now with several cases of counterfeit products being sold in the open market, companies are trying to include innovative features which prevent product tampering as well as assure dispensing accuracy as per the recommended dose. Therefore the industry has seen a variety of packaging available in the pharmaceutical sector such as glass, pet bottles, strips and blister packs, injectables, ampoules, bulk packs and much more according to Didier Lacroix ,Senior Vice President Worldwide Sales & Marketing, Cognex Inc.
According to Haf Cennydd, the Global Brand Director for the ICSE, InnoPack, P-MEC and BioPh events for UBM Live, the global pharmaceutical packaging market is likely to continue the growth rate of around 5.5 per cent annually to reach US$18.5 billion by 2014.
The Indian pharmaceutical packaging market will mirror the aggressive growth pattern of the global market. As India is moving to the forefront of the pharmaceutical market, the growth will further support the ability to reduce cost while still providing innovative and effective solutions to end users. The anticipated high volume generics output in India will have a ripple effect and would spur the growth in the market for pharmaceutical packaging options, she said.
According to her , the pharmaceutical machinery industry in India has continued to grow, as companies look to re-focus on exploring new innovations, as well as redefining quality measures and turning to standardization requirements. At present, India is one of the largest manufacturers of medicines in the world and has the highest number of USFDA approved facilities outside of the US. As these manufacturing facilities are being upgraded and expanded to better compete with regulated markets, the output of the Indian pharmaceutical market will increase and act as a catalyst for further demands for innovation and supplies of pharmaceutical machinery within India, she added.