The last edition of CPhI Worldwide, the most important international pharmaceutical fair, has just ended. This year’s participation was particularly interesting: the event turned out to be a real portrait of the pharmaceutical industry, highlighting the changes that have emerged and the trends that are consolidating. Those involved in pharmaceutical packaging must necessarily consider these transformations to offer their customers solutions that can meet the new needs of end customers. Here are our points:

1. Pharma becomes sustainable

The “green wave” has also affected the pharmaceutical industry: in the CPhI pavilions there were a lot of talking about sustainability, in particular referred to packaging. Plastic, in particular, is very much a subject. A proper attitude, if you think about it: the health of the planet is a necessary and irreplaceable condition for human health, and those who work to preserve the second must also be concerned about the first. Of course, sustainable pharmaceutical packaging must still meet the high-quality standards and regulations that govern the industry. A challenge that, however, is possible to win. It is in this perspective that we created ToBeNaturAL, the aluminum tube with compostable capsule. Aluminum is 100% infinitely recyclable, without ever losing its original qualities and with a lower energy consumption than the production from raw materials: the compostable biopolymer closure capsule is the perfect completion in a “green” perspective.

• Emerging markets real protagonist

The so-called “new markets” contribute decisively to the vitality of the pharmaceutical industry, in particular Asian countries and the whole Arab world. So it becomes indispensable to formulate solutions capable of meeting the specific needs of the individual markets. In particular, they face the pitfalls of drug counterfeiting, a globally widespread phenomenon but which affects some areas of Asia, Africa and the Middle East in particular. An anti-counterfeit pharmaceutical packaging therefore becomes an important added value for all pharmaceutical companies that turn to these markets. This is why we have created solutions for our tubes that prevent or discourage counterfeiting: like ToBeUnique, the exclusive seamless printing method that involves both the cap and the body of the tube in a single process, for truly unique results in terms of design and especially impossible to reproduce with the same technique!

• The drug becomes interactive to “dialogue” with user

One of the trends to pay more attention to is undoubtedly the integration of traditional packaging with new digital technologies. But the reason behind it is the most interesting aspect of this transformation. For too long the pharmaceutical industry has put the product at the center: today it is finally time to put people and their needs back at the center. In particular, those who live with chronic diseases feel the need to establish a real “relationship” with their drug. A utopia that can become reality thanks to the new solutions of smart pharmaceutical packaging. Like the smart tube: an aluminum tube for drugs that “hides” a StealthCode in the print artwork. It is a code invisible to the human eye that, once scanned with a mobile app from any angle, links to exclusive digital content. For example, the leaflet available in several languages, or in a podcast version for blind and partially sighted people; or a video that shows how to spread an ointment effectively. To give you an idea of ​​this potential we have created Revelio, a “fake” ointment against psoriasis: visit Revelio’s website, you will get an idea of ​​its potential.

We will see how these trends develop in the next year, when we could assist to a very special edition of the CPhI, that will take place, finally, in Milan! #SavetheDate!