It’s how you package it: Why Pharmapack is expanding

At Pharmapack 2019, the interplay between pharma and medtech was more evident than ever. Regular contributor Reece Armstrong caught up with Silvia Forroova, event director of Pharmapack to find out why.

The meeting takes place outside of one the venue’s conference rooms, situated a few stories up and boasting an impressive view of Paris, the Eiffel Tower clearly visible. Being 11.30am the show has barely begun, but already the show floor is packed and stands are streaming with visitors. Forroova begins by commenting on the success of the show and why it is expanding at such a rate.

“It’s actually expanding because of how the markets are developing. If we think about the pharma market in terms of innovation; what is happening when it comes to serialisation, biological drugs, containment, the technology being used in wearable devices, and pre-filled syringes are a huge topic as well. All of these factors are trying to minimise healthcare costs more so than ever before,” Forroova says.

While innovation seems to be a key driver of the show and indeed the industry, increased collaboration between medtech and pharma appears to be equally as important. The latest Pharmapack report for instance indicated how larger companies are now looking to acquire SMEs to boost approval times and scale-up challenges.

On the topic of collaboration, Forroova believes that changes to drug development have led to packaging being considered much earlier in the lifecycle of a drug.

“Packaging used to come in quite late in the stages when it came to drug development. Or even at the final stage. We have a pill, we have a product and it needs packaging somehow. It needs a box!” she jokes.

Now though Forroova relates the rising complexity of drug molecules to a specific need in the way they’re packaged, tracked and labelled.

The obvious contender for change in this instance is the Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD), which came into effect in February. The FMD requires pharmaceutical companies to comply with a number of safety features that ensure the authenticity of medications throughout the entire supply chain, limiting the possibility of counterfeit medicines and devices making it to the patient. 

Asked whether patients are aware of the dangers of counterfeit products, Forroova thinks that this varies depending on the country.

“In Europe and the US more people are aware of counterfeit drugs and products. When it comes to patients, it’s more about making sure they never have to think about counterfeit medicines; that products aren’t safe to use or have had to be recalled. I think that’s our role here, to educate manufacturers and the packaging companies to do their utmost and to support the activities they’re planning,” she says.

We briefly touch on the subject of Brexit, and whilst Forroova doesn’t want to stray too far into political waters, she understands that the UK’s departure from the EU could produce a sort of sea change within the industry.

While Brexit isn’t something Forroova delves too deeply on, she doesn’t deny that it is firmly on the minds of visitors and exhibitors to Pharmapack; there’s even a conference session devoted to it. However, she’s right to say that it isn’t the show’s main focus, which she thinks is clearly represented by Pharmapack’s Innovation Gallery.

Showcasing the industry’s latest advancements, Pharmapack’s Innovation Gallery constitutes everything from connected drug delivery devices to new kinds of easy-to-open blister packs. One of the most unassuming products we discuss is a glass vial that has an invisible UV print on it, which provides an anti-counterfeiting aspect to the packaging. It’s simple but wholly intuitive and is one of the best examples of how even the most modest products are changing to industry needs.

“I think it really shows us the trends and how we’re trying to showcase players and an industry that is actually supportive on innovation. So this is very important, this is our mission and vision,” Forroova concludes.