Close×

One in three pharmaceutical products are packed in bottles, according to a new study which forecasts healthy year-on-year growth for the pharmaceutical packaging market in 2019.

Global pharmaceutical packaging demand topped $75bn USD in 2018, and the market is expected to grow by more than five per cent year-on-year in 2019, according to the report Pharmaceutical Packaging Market by Future Market Insights. The report also found that bottles are a big player in the industry.

“Bottles, with the current share of over a third of the market value, are envisaged to remain highly sought after as a type of packaging for pharmaceutical products. The report also highlights that packer bottles continue to represent higher popularity over liquid bottles.

“Furthermore, blisters, vials, and ampoules will remain the next most preferred types of pharmaceutical packaging, particularly driven by HDPE and LDPE,” it said.

The opportunities in emerging economies are another trend highlighted by the report, with China, India, and other countries across the Asia-Pacific region excluding Japan making “significant progress” over the past 20 years.

“The Chinese government has heavily invested in the construction of hospitals, clinics, and centers. This scenario will create multiple growth opportunities for pharmaceutical packaging manufacturers during the course of coming years,” the report said.

The Pharmaceutical Packaging Market report is accessible here.

Food & Drink Business

Our Top 100 2025 edition of Food & Drink Business magazine is more than the annual flagship Top 100 Report. Industry leaders reflect on the year past and the one ahead, we provide our annual news review, M&A wrap-up, and all the executive moves, and a Roman-inspired sports drink, Posca, is our final Rising Star for 2025.

A blend of salt, red wine vinegar, and water – known as Posca – was the ‘original sports drink’, helping to keep the soldiers of the Roman Empire marching up to 30 kilometres per day. Keira Joyce spoke with Posca Hydrate co-founders, Merrick Watts and Ed Stening, about reviving a 2000-year-old functional beverage for the modern healthy lifestyle.

From the big deals to the quiet divestments, Food & Drink Business editor, Kim Berry, recounts the mergers and acquisitions of 2025.