Drug developers are interested in innovative polymers and multilayer technology to help meet packaging requirements
Rajarshi Datta, Country Head & General Manager – South Asia, Honeywell Advanced Materials informs there is a growing need for new packaging technologies that allow the pharma industry to launch drugs to market faster while reducing operational costs and shares details about Honeywell’s pharma packaging product offerings, in an interview with Lakshmipriya Nair
Tell us about the emerging technologies in materials science for pharma. What will be their drivers?
With the continued growth of the pharma packaging market and the advent of COVID-19, there is a growing need for new packaging technologies that allow the industry to launch drugs to market faster while reducing operational costs. This has become a huge challenge and opportunity for technology players in the sector. Pharma companies are leveraging advanced technologies and automation to address challenges such as sample backfilling and overfilling, detecting metal contaminants and other dense foreign bodies in the production line. With the support of technologically advanced and innovative partners, the pharma industry can shift down a gear and increase its efficiency and productivity throughout the product life cycle.
How is the pandemic likely to advance innovation in this sphere? What are the learnings from this pandemic that can be used to serve heretofore unmet needs?
The shutdown caused by COVID-19 has caused disruption in all sectors. While a vaccine is the desired ultimate solution, companies need new packaging technologies that allow them to launch drugs to market faster, while lowering operating costs. It is critical for the pharma industry to ensure a sufficient supply of high-quality glass packaging products for pharma manufacturers around the world. Pharma companies have expressed several concerns about a possible shortage of vials that will lead to a serious bottleneck in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccine once it is developed. This has proved to be a major challenge and opportunity