In an interview, Ketan Premani, Head of Healthcare Packaging India, Clariant with Chemical Today Magazine delves into the growth potential of new-age healthcare packaging solutions amidst a burgeoning pharmaceutical industry, which is focusing on the safety and integrity of drugs.
By Debarati Das
Trends in the global healthcare packaging industry.
The global healthcare packaging market is anticipated to expand at a steady compound annual growth rate (CAGR), owing to the growth of the parent industry. The healthcare sector is receiving enhanced focus around the globe, especially in developing countries, where decades of economic development have helped governments to invest in revamping health care facilities.
The healthcare packaging industry has rapidly become a vital part of drug delivery system as well as a major element of the marketing mix, through which manufacturers can distinguish their products from that of their competitors. The industry is now focusing more on safety and integrity of the drugs as it is very vital to maintain the shelf life of the drugs. It is seeking active packing options to provide drug stability since these drugs become susceptible to moisture and oxygen present in the atmosphere. Hence, a functional packaging is the need of the hour for the packaging industry.
Insights on healthcare packaging industry in India.
The Indian pharmaceuticals market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 18 percent by 2020 driven by the ageing and growing population, rising income levels, emerging medical conditions and new diseases. This will directly augment the need for pharmaceuticals packaging India, which is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.46 percent till 2020. The Indian pharmaceutical industry is the largest supplier of cost-effective generic medicines to the developed world.
Today, Indian pharmaceutical manufacturers are producing 40 percent of prescription drugs sold in the US and are gaining prominence in EU countries as well. With an extensive range of medicines available for exports clubbed with the largest number of approved pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities, India is poised to take the lead in pharmaceutical exports to the world. Hence, adhering to the global regulations such as USFDA is very essential. In fact, the USFDA has set up a regional office in India in the wake of the fast-growing Indian pharmaceutical industry.
Clariant’s India business plans for healthcare packaging.
At Clariant, we have recently invested CHF 10 million (approx. Rs 70 crore) in a new healthcare packaging manufacturing plant in Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu which is the first ever Greenfield Clariant plant in India. The production of the desiccant canisters is expected to commence in the later part of 2017 and the plant will be a significant contributor to Clariant’s global desiccant canister production.
This facility will be the primary desiccant platform for high-speed, high-volume packaging lines, often the case for generic drug manufacturers. The Cuddalore plant is solely focused towards making moisture control products to support the growing pharmaceutical packaging market in India.
Additionally, Clariant is already assessing plans for expanded production, including plans to add high-capacity multi-lane production of its versatile Continu-StripTM desiccant packets, which can be inserted with numerous types of standard desiccant insertion machinery.
Product showcase at CPhI India 2016
The products showcased by Clariant Healthcare Packaging at CPhI 2016 were:
- Desiccant canisters: Clariant’s desiccant canisters provide active solutions to control the atmospheric conditions inside a container. This in return helps address the challenge of drug stability.
- Desiccant packets – Clariant’s desiccant packets help protect the goods from moisture, odour and harmful elements. They are widely used in industries including pharma, medical, nutraceuticals and diagnostics.
- EQ Pak – Clariant’s EQ Pak helps maintain a particular equilibrium relative humidity (ERH) inside product packaging. It is used in pharma and nutraceutical packaging where specific relative humidity conditions are required.
- EQ-CAN - One of Clariant’s major innovations in this segment is: EQ-CAN TM, which is a functional desiccant used in bottled-packaged drugs. While most desiccants adsorb moisture in the package to bring it to almost nothing, EQ-CAN can maintain the moisture levels within the desired range.
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